Chain of survival
In daily life, you may be the first responders to someone who is experiencing cardiac arrest. Your action could be crucial to them. Perform the 4 steps (the life support chain) immediately to help the casualty:
Contact local emergency support as soon as possible.
Apply cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): Brain cells without oxygen supply for more than 4 minutes will result in severe damage or lead to death. Before emergency medical personnel arrive, perform CPR to sustain the blood supply to the brain and heart.
Apply AED
Send to hospital for medical treatment.
Taking all the necessary steps as soon as possible can increase one's chance of survival by 30-40%.
Why need CPR and AED
Ventricular fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that starts in the ventricles, contributes to as much as 75% of cardiac arrest. It happens when the electrical signals that tell your ventricles muscles to pump cause them to quiver (fibrillate) instead. As a result, the heart cannot pump blood to the rest of the body. During this occasion, CPR helps sustain brain and heart function but cannot establish a normal heartbeat.
Applying an automated external defibrillator (AED) is the most effective way to resume a normal heartbeat. An AED is a portable, easy-to-use medical device that analyzes heart rhythm. After analysis, if necessary, the AED can deliver a defibrillation (electrical shock) to re-establish an effective heartbeat. However, the effectiveness of AEDs will reduce by 7-10% every minute. Therefore, acting fast is crucial.
Important !
A first aid course offers numerous benefits beyond knowing how to respond in an emergency. Contact the local Red Cross for a first aid and AED course.
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