HEARTSTART TRAINING AT WERNETH SCHOOL

RESTART A HEART IN WERNETH

   Sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation is the third leading cause of death within industrialised nations. 

  In Europe and the U S A together, 700,00 people die every year.  In industrialised regions across the world the same ratios apply.  Many of these lives could be saved if more lay people were able to provide immediate C P R.  Unfortunately, following cardiac arrest the brain starts to to die after only 3 to 5 minutes without blood flow.

   During the first five minutes following cardiac arrest there is still sufficient oxygen in the blood and lungs, immediate bystander chest compressions could save hundreds of thousands of lives.

  Mandatory nationwide training of school children has a huge impact for improving the bystander C P R rate, and has proved to be the most successful way to reach the entire population.

  Over the next five years, it's the European Heart Resuscitation Council's vision to create a Nation of Lifesavers - a revolution in C P R training that will help more people survive cardiac arrest.  The target is a minimum of two hours C P R training annually, per child from the age of 12 in all schools worldwide.

  At this age children are more responsive to instruction and learn more easily to help others.  Starting at this age is like swimming or ridding a bike: children will not forget how to save a life.  This "KIDS SAVE LIVES" has been developed by the Italian Resuscitation Council.

   In one and a half hours at Werneth Primary School we introduced seventy pupils into the mysteries of DR's A B C and C P R, with ten trainers, two of them teachers previously trained by us.