This article is from page 62 of the 2007-12-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 62 JPG
A LEADING A&E Consultant has claimed that many people who die from cardiac arrest or sudden car- diac death do so because not enough lay-people know basic CPR (Cardi- opulmonary Resuscitation).
Consultant in Emergency Medicine at the Mid-West Regional Hospitals in Limerick and Ennis, Dr Cathal O’Donnell said, “We have a dismal outcome from cardiac arrest or sud- den cardiac death. Less than five per cent survive and on average, 14 people die from cardiac arrest every 24 hours. Many of them die because they don’t get CPR or a defi- brillator to them in the first four to five minutes.”
Dr O’Donnell, who is also Chair- man of the RESUS 2007, a confer- ence and skills showcase held in Limerick at the weekend added, “Irish lay-people do not know how to do basic CPR and this is the main reason that people die. Many more would survive if everyone could do CPR properly”.
The annual event aims to increase survival for cardiac arrest, trauma resuscitation, road traffic accidents and poisonings. 400 providers from
in-hospital and pre-hospital services as well as the voluntary ambulance sector gathered to hear national and international speakers outline cut- ting edge advances in resuscitation science and to see them in action
simulating emergency medicine pro- cedures in recreated A&E scenarios.
World renowned resuscitation ex- pert, Professor Douglas Chamber- lain of Cardiff University said that “In the absence of such life saving
community action, people will con- tinue to die. International research shows that heart attack victims who get CPR have a better outcome than those who are first defibrillated. Hand compression can sustain life
for 60 minutes. It is vital that more people are taught this life saving ey ReLeere LUN Kome
Ennisman, Dr Brian Maurer, Medical Director of the Irish Heart Foundation echoed a call for govern- ment action. “There are a number of challenges for the Government in improving the health outcomes of those in need of acute emergency care in Ireland. Making CPR train- ing part of the school curriculum would make a huge difference. The Irish Heart foundation has requested a meeting with Mary Hanafin, Min- ister for Education, to discuss the development of CPR training within schools”, he said.
Chief Superintendent John Farrelly of the Garda Traffic Corps outlined the success of the recent ‘random breath testing’ initiative which had saved 72 lives this year alone. More than 400 drivers are caught through random testing every week and the commitment to further reduce blood alcohol levels will save even more lives, he claimed.