Learn a life-saving skill
DO you know how to react if you see someone collapsing in front of you? What would your first course of action be if the person is not showing signs of breathing? Is it a classic case of a heart attack and is it safe to move the person?
These questions are important to consider so you can be prepared should a medical emergency unfold in front of you. Knowing what to do in those crucial moments can be the difference between life and death for someone in medical distress.
According to The Heart Foundation of Malaysia, up to 30% of medically certified deaths in government hospitals are attributed to cardiovascular diseases. From this total, some deaths occur outside hospitals and within the first two hours after the onset of symptoms.
Coupled with the fact that cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death among Malaysians, it should be an issue that everybody is aware about.
Sadly, this is not the case and many Malaysians do not fully understand the dangers of heart disease, its prevalence or the various symptoms associated with heart disease.
While hospitals and non-governmental organisations are taking steps to create awareness, the public must do its part to be informed not merely to spot possible cases of heart attack or heart failure, but also equip themselves with life-saving skills such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) knowledge.
Learn how to respond
CPR is performed in emergency situations when a person does not show signs of life or the heart stops. In the case of a heart attack, the victim’s ventricle has lost its ability to beat in an organised fashion and thus fails to pump blood throughout the body.
The brain, which is the most sensitive part of the human body, is affected within seconds of the heart stopping. The victim will lose consciousness due to the lack of oxygen and brain death will occur in less than 10 minutes.
CPR helps prolong circulatory and lung function by restarting oxygenated blood flow to the heart and brain until the affected person is able to receive medical attention or defibrillation. The sooner you perform CPR on a person who has experienced cardiopulmonary arrest (where there is no sign of breathing or a heartbeat), the greater their chances of being successfully resuscitated.
For this reason, it would be ideal if everyone were to undergo a CPR training programme through initiatives such as the introduction of CPR training in schools. While there are ample resources online that describe the step-by-step process and show videos of how to perform CPR, the* procedure is a taught skill and people need to learn the proper techniques because incorrectly performed CPR can cause broken ribs and bruising.
Among the topics usually highlighted in a CPR course such as those organised by The Heart Foundation of Malaysia are:
● Coronary artery disease
● Risk factors for heart attack
● Lung anatomy and function
● Recognising a heart attack
● Recovery position
● Airway obstruction in conscious and unconscious adults
● CPR and airway obstruction in children and infants
One must undergo assessments including theory and skills tests before he is awarded with a certificate acknowledging his success in completing the programme.