The aim of the first ‘European Restart a Heart Day’ is to emphasise teaching members of the public how to help restart the heart of a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest. This initiative is being organised by the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) today the 16th October.

Teaching is being directed particularly at Europe’s younger people and aims to improve the very low numbers of people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. On the day, members of the European Parliament will be taught how to resuscitate a cardiac arrest victim through cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).

The ERC’s ‘Restart a Heart’ campaign comes following a European Parliament declaration in June 2012 calling on Member States to establish a European Cardiac Arrest Awareness Week aimed at improving awareness and education of the general public, doctors and other health care workers.

Symbolically multiple cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training events are being held throughout most European countries with the support of their National resuscitation organisation.

In line with this pan European effort, the Malta Resuscitation Council (MRC) organised a CPR training event in the National Sports Complex in Cottonera aimed at school children between the ages of 14 to 16 years, their teachers and politicians on how to give this vital assistance in the cardiac arrest scenario where time really matters to the outcome of the cardiac victim.

During the activity Minister for Education and Employment, Hon. Evarist Bartolo, stressed that children of all ages should familiarise themselves with the emergency techniques as this results in lives being saved.

Minister for Health, Godfrey Farrugia said that the event was a great opportunity for those present to learn about CPR and first aid, as in case of an emergency and in the absence of health care professionals, the responsibility could fall on them.

Every year, around 350,000 Europeans suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Although the vast majority of cardiac arrest events happen at home, emergency ambulances have commonly responded to incidents in the road, at work and also in areas where strenuous exercise takes place. Currently, less than 1 in 10 of these patients survive. Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by members of the general public in the vicinity increases survival by 2-3 times, however studies show that it is delivered in only 1 in 5 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest throughout Europe.

Learning how to carry out effective CPR is easier than most people think and children above the age of 12 have been shown to master this life skill well. By taking the initiative of promoting today’s training session of a section of schoolchildren from the various National Collages, the Malta Resuscitation Council is emphasising the fact that CPR is a straightforward simple procedure that even a child can easily learn and carry out.

The Council is encouraging wider CPR training throughout the local community, increase the probability of having a trained responder in the close vicinity of every cardiac arrest event and initiate resuscitation prior to the arrival of the Ambulance service and thus raise the chance of survival. As a training body the Malta Resuscitation Council strongly advises that CPR training is included within the National School curriculum whereby all schoolchildren end their secondary school education as certified CPR responders.

Following the ongoing training which is being carried out by the MRC to health care providers, CPR training is now being aimed towards lay persons who work in key public places as supermarkets, hotels, gyms and theatres.

Paralleled with placing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in strategic points around the Island this strategy aims to decease overall local cardiac mortality and morbidity. Through similar training programs carried out by the various European National Resuscitation Councils this project could save an overall 100,000 lives per year across Europe.

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