The World Restart a Heart Day is a hands on experience on how to save a life following a cardiac arrest.
The World restart a heart day in Malta will be inaugurated on Tuesday 16th October with an event taking place at Freedom Square Valletta between 10AM and 2PM.
This day was chosen by the International Committee on Resuscitation to promote bystander CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on a global platform.
The focus will be on hands-only CPR training and the importance of initiating immediate action and help save a life from cardiac arrest.
Studies have shown that bystander CPR rates vary in different countries and ranges between five and Eighty percent. So the drive is to teach and encourage bystander CPR.
If CPR is performed immediately it can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.
The campaign theme: All Citizens of the World can Save a Life! reinforces the idea that Hands-Only CPR is simple and effective and can be performed by anyone. Hands-Only CPR has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR for cardiac arrest in adults at home, at work or in public.
In Malta in 2016-2017, bystander CPR occurred in just 40% of cardiac arrests and the overall survival rate was only 5%. Many people don’t perform CPR because they don’t know what to do or they are afraid of hurting the person.
To help increase the likelihood of people performing CPR in an emergency, the Malta Resuscitation Council recommends Hands-Only CPR, which has three easy steps.
Step 1: Check for responsiveness.
Step 2: Call 112.
Step 3: Compress / Push hard and fast in the center of the chest until help arrives.
The Malta Resuscitation Council (MRC) is organizing this event with the participation of the following Associations: Red Cross, St John, MMSA, MHSA and together with VL18 and Valletta Local Council and sponsorship by Technoline.
Restart a Heart Day was founded with the support of the European Parliament. This is the first year that the campaign will be a worldwide initiative, adding the global designation to the campaign name. These are the Councils which got involved:
Learning Hands-Only CPR can help save the life of a loved one.