NORTH COUNTY NEWS
Thursday 27 December 2012
This Christmas, IHF says give the gift of life with hands-only CPR. Irish Heart Foundation backs latest UK Hands-only CPR campaign Get hands on with hands-only CPR this Christmas, is the message from the Irish Heart Foundation urging more people to learn the lifesaving skills of cardiopulmonary resuscitation so they can react in the event of sudden cardiac arrest.
The latest please follows the sudden deaths of 16 year old Shane Murphy and 20 year old Deirdre Lynch, both from Cork, who collapsed and died from sudden adult death syndrome earlier this week.
According to the national charity fighting heart disease and stroke, almost two thirds of cardiac arrest victims in Ireland now receive bystander CPR, a lifesaving skill which can be vital to sustain heart viability until emergency services arrive and which can be performed effectively by children from as young as 10 years of age.
In the event of a collapse Irish Heart Foundation resuscitation expert Brigid Sinnott has urged the public to forget the kiss of life and go straight to hard and fast compressions on the chest after calling 999 or 112 to make sure emergency services are on the way. The Irish Heart Foundation also welcomed the return of Hollywood actor Vinnie Jones to Irish TV screens delivering the latest hands-only advice from their UK counterparts at the British Heart Foundation to help save lives from sudden cardiac arrest. Ms Sinnott said: “Many people are afraid to give CPR in an emergency because of their lack of knowledge and many more are put off by the thought of having to give the kiss of life, Vinnie Jones is back on our TV screens thanks to the British Heart Foundation and once again, he has hit the nail on the head. Regardless if you have been trained or not, if someone collapses unconscious in front of you, call 999 or 112 and start giving strong chest compressions to the beat of Stayin’ Alive to keep a good tempo. The reality is that about 60% of collapses occur in front of family or friends which is why we need to encourage everyone to give hands only CPR a try”. Every year in Ireland 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. For every minute a person is collapsed without receiving CPR or defibrillation, their chance of survival decreases by between eight to 10 per cent per minute. After five minutes, their chance of survival may be reduced by as much as 50 per cent. But according to Ms Sinnott, with bystander CPR and the availability of a defibrillator within minutes, their chances can greatly improve.
In addition the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said if survival rates are to improve, more bystanders need to help by doing CPR, which prompted the UK charity to bring back its popular Hands-only CPR TV advert with Vinnie Jones. The UK Charity is also releasing a new training film and mobile app, starring ‘Mini Vinnie’, to help promote Hands-only CPR among the next generation of life-savers. The BHF’s original advert and training film told millions that have-a-go heroes should give the kiss of life a miss in favour of hard and fast chest compressions to the beat of Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees. Irish Heart Foundation Medical Director Dr Angie Brown stressed that many people can survive and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest but only if they receive immediate CR. Dr Brown said: “The great thing about Hands-only CPR is you don’t need any special skills or to remember how to do the kiss of life. All you need to remember is that you can’t do any harm and you may well save a life. We just need more people to get hands on and give it a try – it could be the difference between life and death.” Dr Brown concluded: “It is also important to remember that playing sport and getting active is good for you and can help prevent premature coronary disease which remains the biggest cause of sudden cardiac death. Unfortunately every year in Ireland an estimated 5,000 people die suddenly from cardiac arrest when their hearts stop beating. Sadly between 70 and 100 of these deaths occur in people under the age of 35. f anyone has first degree relatives who have died suddenly from a heart condition or have symptoms of dizziness breathlessness or chest pain then it’s important to seek urgent medical assessment.” For Irish Heart Foundation certified resuscitation courses see www.irishheart.ie.