Irish Examiner
Wednesday 21 March 2012
What clubs and organisations can do:
Irish Heart Foundation resuscitation expert Brigid Sinnott said bystander CPR is vital to increase the chances of survival.
“For every minute a person is collapsed without receiving CPR or defibrillation, their chance of survival decreases by between 7% and 10% per minute”, she said. “After five minutes, their chance of survival may be reduced by as much as 50%. But with bystander CPR and the availability of a defibrillator within minutes, their chances can greatly improve.”
The Irish Heart Foundation recommends all sports clubs put measures in place so they can strengthen the links in the chain of survival in the event of a sudden collapse:
- Call 999
- Start early CPR
- Early defibrillation and early advanced care in hospital.
Ms. Sinnott said: “I have no doubt that the immediate use of CPR and a defibrillator is the reason Fabrice Muamba has survived. CPR is a simple skill and the measures clubs can take are not about a fancy set-up, just hard an fast chest compressions.
“The prevalence of cardiac arrest is not any higher for sports people or young sports people; in fact , every year in Ireland, an estimated 5,000 people die suddenly from cardiac arrest when their hearts stop beating. Between 70 and 100 of these deaths occur in people under the age of 35.”
The Irish Heart Foundation recommends that sports clubs put the following measures in place:
- Always have people trained in CPR and using a defibrillator on site at matches and training
- Ensure the location of defibrillators is visible and that they are maintained
- regular training in CPR and how to use a defibrillator
- Recommend regular practice sessions and re-certification every two years.
- There is no limit on the numbers who can be trained; a good starting point is club trainers or selectors
- Clubs need to encourage people not to be afraid to start compressions
- Always call emergency services in the event of collapse, even if there is a defibrillator on site.