Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, in conjunction with the MTW Hospitals Charity, held a #ResusReady event at Maidstone Hospital last week. The initiative was led by Lead Resuscitation Officer, Paul Abdey, and Resuscitation Officer, Leena Panchal, from the Trust's Resuscitation Training team.
The event highlighted the critical importance of immediate action in cases of sudden cardiac arrest, which affect approximately 40,000 people in the UK annually. Statistics show that eight in 10 cardiac arrests occur at home, and survival rates for out-of-hospital incidents remain low, with only one in 10 individuals surviving.
The importance of rapid intervention was stressed, with emphasis on calling 999, performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and using a defibrillator as quickly as possible to improve survival chances.
Restart a Heart Day, observed annually on 16 October, aims to raise public awareness about the benefits of early intervention for cardiac arrests and to increase the number of people trained in CPR.
“"Women are least likely to get CPR in cardiac arrest if the bystander is a man. This is because of fear of touching/exposing bare chests. Do not let your concerns about that interfere with the life-saving treatment you can give such as CPR or defibrillation. Everybody should get CPR if their lives depend on it. Please learn for your loved ones and for others."
