You don't have to be a super hero like Batman to save lives. You can be one by simply learning how to do CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). According to a new study, there's a direct correlation between survival of patients after sudden cardiac arrest and the number of bystanders who performed the procedure.
Researchers from Duke Clinical Research Institute in North Carolina led by Dr. Carolina Malta Hansen analyzed the statistics of people who developed sudden cardiac arrest, a condition where the heart just stops beating, cutting off the blood and oxygen supply to the brain and other vital organs. Patients can die within minutes. In fact, survival falls 10% for every minute after the arrest. First aid should be carried out as soon as possible.
According to their analyses, the rate of patients who survived the condition without any damage to the brain increased by as much as 3% between 2010 and 2013.
The increase, then, can be linked to the number of people who obtained CPR during their sudden cardiac arrest. During the same period, the percentage rose by 9% after the state campaigned for CPR use during emergencies. Further, at least 85% of patients received CPR before emergency services came, and 45% of them were somehow saved by bystanders.
Aside from performing CPR, bystanders can also use defibrillators, specifically automated external defibrillators (AEDs), to revive a patient that have collapsed. Further, new guidelines for resuscitation don't call for mouth to mouth anymore. It's enough that hands are pressed and pumped hard on the chest to keep the blood flowing from the heart to brain. People also don't need to have certification before they can perform the procedure. Also, the researchers stressed that laws can protect a person who is simply trying to help another person who is in dire need.
The researchers hope that there will be more emphasis on CPR education to let other people become less reluctant to help.