UK heart attack victims ‘worst off’

PEOPLE suffering a cardiac arrest fare worse in the UK than abroad because bystanders are less willing to attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a new report suggests.

Data shows that members of the public who witness a cardiac arrest in the UK perform CPR in fewer than four out of 10 cases.

This compares with rates of almost three-quarters in Norway, where survival rates are up to three times as high.

Every minute without CPR or resuscitation using a defibrillator cuts a person’s chance of survival by around 10 per cent.

After 10 minutes without CPR or defibrillation, a person has a two per cent chance of survival.

Defibrillators are now stationed across the UK in public places, including shopping centres and supermarkets.

They can be used by any member of the public to deliver an electric shock to the heart when someone is having a cardiac arrest and can boost survival significantly. A report from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has revealed that 60,000 cardiac arrests occur out of hospital every year across the UK.

The charity wants to raise awareness among the public that survival chances can be increased to up to 40 per cent through the early use of CPR and defibrillators.

Its report, Resuscitation To Recovery, says that simply waiting for the emergency services to arrive means lives are lost that could be saved.

It also calls for all pupils in secondary schools to learn CPR.

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the BHF, said: “There is potential to save thousands of lives but we urgently need to change how we think about cardiac arrest care.

“It’s clear that we need a revolution in CPR by educating more people in simple lifesaving skills and the use of external defibrillators, and for the subsequent care of a resuscitated patient to be more consistent and streamlined.” COMPETITORS were head over heels as they took part in the 10th annual UK Wife Carrying Race.

The event was staged in Dorking, Surrey, yesterday, with entrants tackling a course that included hay-bale hurdles and a water hazard.

Rob McCaffrey, one of the race organisers, revealed that competitors do not necessarily have to carry their own wife to take part.

He said: “You can carry anyone, as long as they are over 50kg. We’ve had every combination of pair – men carrying men, women carrying women and women carrying men.”