Previously, we heard about a 60-year-old Chinese man who suffered a cardiac arrest outside a Masuya Suisan restaurant in Sydney’s Chinatown, but no one who was at the scene wanted to carry out Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) because they were afraid that he may have had the coronavirus.
He ended up dying despite paramedics’ efforts to revive him moments later.
So heartless, you may think, but would you have done the same?
Is it even safe to perform CPR now with the current coronavirus outbreak?
Well, according to Gov.sg, yes.
Hands-Only CPR
You can perform “hands-only CPR” without having to do mouth-to-mouth breathing. Did you know that when it is performed early, the “hands-only CPR” method has been proven to be just as effective in increasing a victim’s chance of survival as conventional CPR?
Of course, once you’re done performing CPR, remember to practise good personal hygiene and wash your hands.
While you may think that your efforts don’t really help, it actually does.
A person who is suffering a cardiac arrest can easily experience death within minutes. For every minute without any CPR performed on him, his survival rate drops by a whopping 10%. So every minute counts, and your actions and how you react are vital for a cardiac arrest victim’s survival.
How To Respond To Cardiac Arrest?
If you happen to see someone suddenly collapse and he becomes unconscious, instead of running away and ignoring what you just saw, you should tap the victim on the shoulder and shout, “Hello, are you okay?”
If there is no response, ask someone to dial 995 for an ambulance and get someone else to get an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). If you find that they are not breathing normally, immediately perform CPR.
Continue to perform CPR while the AED pads are applied to the victim’s bare chest. Then, follow the voice instructions given by the AED.
The AED will re-analyse for shockable heart rhythm every one to two minutes. Continue performing CPR and following the AED’s instructions until the ambulance arrives.
Remember, your actions count. If you can save a life, do it.