Croí to tackle low out-of-hospital heart attack survival rates

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Written by Administrator

Wednesday, 24 January 2007

Croí has announced details of its 'Lifeline Project', a major new initiative established in response to the poor survival rates from out of hospital Sudden Cardiac Death in the West of Ireland.

The project is in line with recommendations from the Government Report of the Task Force on Sudden Cardiac Death 2006. It aims to train the public in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation and promote the widespread availability of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), throughout the West.

Survival rates from Sudden Cardiac Death in Ireland are estimated at less than one per cent. Immediate CPR and early defibrillation have proven to increase survival rates dramatically, by as much as 30 to 40 per cent.

Croí has appointed a Project Co-ordinator to oversee the development, training and auditing of this programme. Over 100 AED sites are operational throughout the West under the Croí programme, which aims to support the training of over 1,000 lay people in CPR and AED use this year.

One of the greatest deterrents to the uptake of CPR and AED training by lay people has been the issue of insurance. Croí is the first Irish CPR training body to have secured a personal insurance policy, which provides public liability and medical malpractice indemnity for certified AED operators.

The 'Croí Lifeline Project' is under the medical direction of consultant cardiologists at the Department of Cardiology, University College Hospital, Galway. It is the first Irish public access defibrillation initiative of its size dedicated to the promotion of community resuscitation by lay first responders. AED sites are participating in the programme including regional airports, hotels, sports clubs, shopping centres, workplaces and general community sites.

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