'Teach schoolkids CPR'

[Posted: Fri 16/11/2007 www.irishhealth.com]

The Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has urged the  Government to help reduce deaths from cardiac arrest by investing in life-saving schools resuscitation equipment in 2008.

In its pre-budget submission, the IHF urged the Government to save more lives by providing sufficient funding to roll-out a national cardiopulmonary resuscitation programme for transition year students in all schools.

The IHF points out that every year, an average of 5,000 people die from cardiac arrest and 70% of arrests occur out of hospital, with a survival rate of just 1%.

IHF Chief Executive Michael O'Shea said it was the consensus of a recent Government taskforce that basic life support and Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) training should be considered a basic life-skill similar to driving.

He said a person's chance of survival can be lost due to a lack of recognition by bystanders that they are in cardiac arrest, which results in delays carrying out resuscitation.

By introducing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the school curriculum, we can strengthen survival rates right across the country, Mr O'Shea said. 

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