Members of the public could help save more than 1,000 lives every year in the event of a cardiac arrest with the right CPR and public access defibrillator training, a new report suggests.

Resuscitation to Recovery – an in-depth analysis of cardiac arrest treatment from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) – shows that just eight per cent of people survive after suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, with fewer than half of adult bystanders providing potentially life-saving intervention.

The study, which is endorsed by more than a dozen professional and medical organisations, reveals that less than half of the general public have the confidence or training to provide help when somebody suffers a cardiac arrest.

As a result, the BHF has put together a national framework that recommends greater awareness of CPR techniques among the public and mandatory training for secondary school pupils, as well as collaboration between the emergency services to send a CPR lifesaver to the scene with a defibrillator as soon as possible.

Professor Huon Gray, national clinical director for heart disease, NHS England, commented: “Thousands of deaths from cardiac arrests could be prevented every year but we need to work with the public, the emergency services and hospitals in order to achieve this.”

According to the report, with bystander intervention, the chances of survival after a cardiac arrest could treble.

Research published by the Department of Health in 2013 highlighted that more than 1,000 lives could be saved each year if more people were trained in CPR and able to use public access defibrillators.

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At Martek Lifecare, we are committed to making sure that you are rescue ready when it comes to Sudden Cardiac Arrest, which is why we believe in life-saving products that are both easy to use and effective.

Ensure your CPR technique is perfect with Beaty, a device that helps you perform chest compressions effectively by providing audio feedback when reaching a depth of 5cm.

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