Basic CPR skills can save lives: doctor
SOME 20,000 people die of cardiac arrest in Thailand each year, even though basic life support can prevent many of these deaths.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) provided by an off-duty nurse to a German tourist in Surat Thani last Saturday is a perfect example of how basic life-support knowledge can save lives.
“However, not everybody is as lucky as that German man,” National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM) secretary general Dr Anuchar Sethasathien said yesterday.
Anuchar said very few schools give lessons in basic life support these days, even though all senior-secondary students should ideally have this skill.
He said that in many foreign countries, including Canada and Japan, it is mandatory for students to know how to perform basic life support before they can further their studies.
“We must be aware that such skills will be able to save many lives,” he said.
One in every 15 people should be able to perform CPR, Anuchar said, adding that these skills should not just be left to health professionals.
Anuchar said about 1,000 automated external defibrillators (AED) used for CPR were being made available to help save lives.
While only 5 per cent of cardiac arrest patients can be saved by CPR, using defibrillators would boost people’s chance of survival by up to 40 per cent.
He said professional help could be sought for medical emergencies by dialling 1669.