Luck is not enough
There are some cases where all of these critical steps occur, however
this is rare. When it does happen, there is often a large dose of luck
involved. The critical factor is that ‘someone’ nearby is trained to
recognise cardiac arrest, and to respond the right way, straightaway.
The truth is, doctors and paramedics cannot be everywhere, so we
need to massively boost the number of citizens who can do the job.
At one level this means a major engagement with the public so
we have more trained citizens who understand that they can save a
life. It also means overcoming common barriers, such as the fear that
CPR may potentially hurt a person in cardiac arrest, and the anxiety
of being involved in a life-and-death situation.
Those who do survive are the lucky ones – lucky that a bystander
is trained to help. Or lucky that equipment like a defibrillator is at
hand. However, in a medically advanced country like Australia, luck
is not an acceptable strategy.
Heart Safe Environment Checklist for
your club or studio
There is a Defibrillator onsite with the appropriate signage
The Defibrillator is in a high traffic area where it is highly
visible. For locations with multiple floors or large areas
there are multiple Defibrillators
There is a Defibrillator located within 90 seconds brisk walk
from anywhere in your Heart Safe location in high traffic
and highly visible locations
There is an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Policy
& Procedure made aware and available to employees/
members/tenants/residents
There is CPR signage highly visible
The Chain of Survival
The best chance of surviving a cardiac arrest occurs when a victim’s
care begins immediately. The interventions that have been shown to
work are best summarised in the Chain of Survival. This is a useful
metaphor for the linked series of actions that, when optimised, give
a cardiac arrest victim the greatest chance of surviving without
ongoing disability.
The Chain of Survival has five interdependent links:
1. Early recognition and early activation of emergency services
2. Early CPR
3. Early defibrillation
4. Effective advanced life support
5. Integrated post-cardiac arrest care.
Of these interventions, immediate and effective CPR and early
defibrillation have been shown to be the most crucial. The highest
rates of survival occur in communities where defibrillators are
widespread and accessible and citizens are trained and willing to
provide CPR.
CPR and the fitness industry
It is currently not a mandatory
‘standard’ for fitness facilities to
have an AED onsite, but it is a strong
recommendation from industry body
Fitness Australia as well as from the
Australian Resuscitation Council,
Australian Heart Foundation and
every ambulance service in Australia.
The Australian Fitness Industry
Risk Management Manual states:
‘Ensuring staff are trained in managing
cardiac emergencies, with a specified
plan and appropriate resuscitation
equipment
including
effective
placement and use of Automated
External Defibrillators (AEDs)’ (p.127)
To adhere to Fitness Industry Risk
Management standards, your business should provide a quality life
saving device to ensure your business is Heart Safe, for your team,
yourself and your clients. The best modern AEDs are very user-
friendly, and include features such as video screens that can display
colour animations, video instructions and on-screen text prompts.
For workplaces; at least 50% of employees have had CPR
awareness training.
If your fitness business has an AED then you’re off to a good
start, and if not, then it’s important to make acquiring one a priority.
The second part of the equation is having team members that are
confident enough to use the device. With these two elements in
place, your fitness business will be well positioned to save lives in
case of cardiac arrest occurring on your premises.
MORE?
Check out these useful links for more information on
becoming heart safe.
• Ambulance Victoria 4 steps to Life – plus http://www.
ambulance.vic.gov.au/cpr
• Queensland Ambulance – CPR Awareness https://
ambulance.qld.gov.au/cprawareness.html
• NSW Ambulance – CPR Chart http://www.ambulance.
nsw.gov.au/Community-Info/First-Aid/CPR.html
• Tasmanian Ambulance – Early Access to Defibrillation
Program http://www.ambulance.tas.gov.au/community_
information/eadp
• St John Ambulance WA – Community First Responder
h t t p : // w w w. s t j o h n a m b u l a n c e . c o m . a u / s t - j o h n /
ambulance-and-health-services/first-responder
• St John Ambulance NT – Workplace First Aid ready
http://www.stjohnnt.org.au
• SA Ambulance Service http://www.saambulance.com.
au
Information provided by MindRay healthcare and Ray’s Anatomy For more
information on getting involved in Restart a Heart Day this October, visit
restartaheart.net
References
1. http://www.takeheartaustralia.com.au, accessed April 2015.
2. http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/
health/~/media/health/publichealth/documents/
ems/2014AnnualReport.ashx, accessed April 2015.
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