When first responders arrive at the side of a patient in cardiac arrest and find someone already performing CPR, it’s a bit of a reassurance. We know that the patient’s chances of survival are already improved by this bystander’s actions.
EIMSL first responders have arrived on calls to find people performing CPR on perfect strangers. And, perhaps more often, we’ve seen people doing the lifesaving manoeuvres on the ones that they love. It’s always a tough situation. But calling 911 and getting CPR (Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation) started quickly, before we arrive with a defibrillator, gives the person whose heart has stopped beating a better chance to live again.
There are between 35 000 and 45 000 cardiac arrests each year in this country. Here’s a startling fact about them: For every minute that passes without CPR, a person’s chance of surviving the cardiac arrest drops by about 10 percent. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, if you know how to respond to a cardiac arrest, the person’s odds of survival and recovery may increase by 30 percent or more.
February is Heart Month in Canada; it’s the right time to take a CPR course. Learning CPR is easy and inexpensive – just a few hours could make an important difference in someone’s life. Although we’re sure that you hope you never have to give that gift, bystander CPR is an incredible gift to give someone.
Contact EIMSL at (450) 455 5824 or cpr@saintlazare911.com to find out more about an upcoming CPR course. For more information about Heart Disease or cardiac arrest, contact the Heart and Stroke Foundation at (514) 636-4599.
