Three steps can make the difference between life and death for someone in cardiac arrest.
That's the message behind this year's annual Restart a Heart Day – a global initiative aimed at highlighting the importance of taking immediate action when someone goes into cardiac arrest.
Last year, St John Ambulance treated more than 2000 people for a cardiac arrest out in the community, with only 31 per cent of those surviving to hospital arrival and only 13 per cent leaving hospital alive.
Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, regardless of age or medical history and it continues to be New Zealand's biggest silent killer, with ischaemic heart disease one of the main causes of death in Aotearoa each year.
St John Clinical Director Dr Tony Smith says a person's survival rate drops by 10-15 percent for every minute without CPR or defibrillation – but their chances dramatically improve the sooner CPR begins.
A map showing some of the AED locations in Tauranga.
'St John wants everyone to have the confidence to perform the three steps that can double a person's chance of survival: call 111 for an ambulance, start CPR and use an AED (automated external defibrillator). Using an AED is simpler than using a mobile phone. Anyone can do it, just turn it on and follow the voice instructions.
'Last year, St John trained more than 67,000 people in CPR and how to use an AED. If you want to learn these skills you can sign up for a free programme called 3 Steps for Life and if you already know CPR and how to use an AED, you can become a GoodSAM responder and be alerted to cardiac arrests in your community, so you can provide help before emergency services arrive,” says Dr Smith.
New Zealand has more than 6000 people registered as GoodSAM responders and the number of AEDs in the community is growing, with more than 5500 registered throughout the country.
That number has been bolstered at a number of marae across New Zealand too, with gifts of AEDS into vulnerable communities by ASB with the support of Phillips and St John. In addition, all ASB branches have AEDs.
To find out more about Restart a Heart Day, visit Restart a Heart.
Click here to see where AED's aew location in and around the city.
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One of the community AEDs, located at Tahatai Coast School in Papamoa.
2 comments
Is GoodSAM currently on
Posted on 17-10-2021 18:37 | By First Responder
I asked St John's recently about GoodSAM during Covid. They said it is currently off. Make sure you know where your closest AED is. I have one, and attended 4 cardiac arrests in the last couple of years, and have always been on scene first. Every minute is so important.
Incident Response First Aid
Posted on 17-10-2021 21:55 | By Yadick
I cannot sing the praises of this local business, IRFA, enough. They'll really go out of their way to help you. They're a business that serves our community with integrity. They've set our first aid up and replenish our kits every couple of months and have taken a huge hassle off our shoulders and yes, we now have an AED supplied at an awesome price. So simple, so excellent, so professional.
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