The American Heart Association (AHA) has joined hands with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar to train 1 lakh community members in the next two years on learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), an easy hand technique to maintain heart function.
Launching community CPR education in India with a collaborative effort of AHA and AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Thursday, AIIMS executive director and co-convener of AHA-AIIMS collaborative Dr Ashutosh Biswas said: “Survival from cardiac arrest largely depends on how quickly CPR is started and the quality of CPR given. To answer the critical need, CPR education is needed. But it is estimated that 98 per cent of the residents are not trained in CPR. In this context, AHA & AIIMS Bhubaneswar will train more than one lakh community members over two years.”
So far 500 master trainers have been trained in this programme and each trained volunteer will train at least 75 community members in hands-only CPR.
Through this effort, more than one lakh community members will be trained in the next two years.
Biswas said: “Intervening within 2-3 minutes of cardiac arrest is crucial to maintain blood circulation to the brain and get time for availability of immediate medical facility or an ambulance. In such scenarios, the role of bystanders (life-savers) becomes vital to make sure the brain survives until medical services are available.”
Officials said one in four deaths in India is due to cardiovascular diseases. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in India. Recently, the country has witnessed many deaths due to sudden cardiac arrest outside hospitals.
As per studies, after a heart attack, cardiac arrest at home has increased from 60 to more than 90 per cent, with a sedentary lifestyle during Covid.
Not only cardiac diseases, but cardiac arrest can also be the terminal stage of any life-threatening conditions, said experts on the occasion of launching community CPR education in India.
Chief of Mission Aligned Business and Health Care Solutions, AHA, John Meiners, convener of AHA-AIIMS collaborative and AIIMS Mangalagiri president Dr T. S. Ravikumar, AIIMS Bhubaneswar medical superintendent Dr S.N. Mohanty, dean (research) Dr Binod Kumar Patro, dean (exam) Dr Manoj Kumar Mohanty, programme leader AHA-AIIMS collaborative Dr Priyamadhaba Behera, and Divya Trikha, Mission Advancement, advisor, AHA, attended the programme and spoke about the importance of training community simple CPR skills.
Accident kills 5
At least five persons, including a minor, were killed in a road accident in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district on Sunday morning, police said, reports PTI.
The incident took place at Patharkhamba Chowk on National Highway-53 when a coal-laden truck hit a three-wheeler they were travelling in, a police officer said.
The deceased, identified as Adikanda Samal (48), Pahali Samal (45), Ananta Samal (35), Ankur Samal (54) and Kalia Samal (14), hailed from Bangura village.
All of them died on the spot, the officer said.
The driver and helper of the truck are absconding, and efforts are underway to track them, he said.
District Collector Saroj Sethi has announced financial assistance of Rs 1.25 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased.
