Sarah Courtney,Minister for Health
Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing
Learning to save a life by restarting a heart stopped by cardiac arrest is simple – and the life you may save will most likely be a friend or loved one.
Seconds count in a cardiac arrest and if a bystander starts cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) within three to four minutes it will increase the chance of survival by up to 50 per cent.
This was the case when a 55-year-old man suffered a cardiac arrest while running on Bellerive Beach near Blundstone Arena a little earlier this year.
Fortunately, off-duty nurses witnessed his collapse and immediately began CPR. A community Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) was quickly located and used to deliver the man a shock.
The closest ambulance was on scene in four minutes of the triple zero (000) call and upon their arrival, the patient had a return of cardiac output and was spontaneously breathing.
Crews treated the man at the scene for 20 minutes before taking him to the Royal Hobart Hospital.
He made a remarkable recovery: just two hours after the cardiac arrest he was sitting up in hospital talking.
Minister for Health, Sarah Courtney said “This shows the lifesaving benefit of learning CPR and the value of community AEDs in Tasmania.”
“I urge all Tasmanians to learn CPR and to know where their closest AED is located,” Minister Courtney said.
Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Jeremy Rockliff said preventative health is key to addressing high rates of chronic disease and risk factors including smoking, obesity and low physical activity.
“We want Tasmanians to live longer, healthier lives and looking after their heart is a critical part of that,” Minister Rockliff said.
Tune in to a live stream event today between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm featuring an exciting line-up of experts in cardiac arrest, and CPR and AED training sessions every hour at https://restartaheart.net/
How to download the Ambulance Tasmania AED locator app: www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/ambulance/smartphone_apps/aed_locator_app
