Importance of AEDs and first aid gestures
Importance of knowing the survival chain
Everyone can be confronted to a situation where a victim is in need of help. At any time and anywhere. It is important to know the gestures to apply according to the situation or to be generally trained on first aid gestures. According to the American Heart association, early defibrillation combined with CPR more than doubles a victim’s chance of survival. Chances of survival decreases significantly with every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation.
While first responders are CPR trained and usually have defibrillators, the average response time is between 8-10 minutes. When every minute is critical, early access to an AED can be the difference between life and death. It all happens in seconds, the victim collapses and the clock is ticking . Therefore, AEDs should be easily accessible in public spaces. You have to act fast.
How to perform CPR ?
Everyone can be confronted to a situation where a victim is in need of help. At any time and anywhere. It is important to know the gestures to apply according to the situation or to be generally trained on first aid gestures.
- Kneel by the side of the victim
- Place the heel of one hand in the center of the victim’s chest
- Place the heel of your other hand on top of the first hand and interlock your fingers
- Keep your arms straight
- Position yourself vertically above the victim’s chest and press down on the sternum at least 5cm (but not more thank 6cm)
- After each compression, releas all the pressure on the chest without losing contact between your hands and the sternum
- Repeat at a rate of 100-120min
*According to the ERC guidelines
The survival rate in France is around 8%. A number 4 to 5 times higher in countries where public spaces are well equipped in defibrillators and where the global population is trained to first aid gestures.
Everyone can be confronted to this situation at any time and anywhere. It is important to highlight the fact that being trained can save lives.