Doctors urge CPR training to reduce cardiac arrest deaths
Health
It is possible to significantly reduce cardiac arrest deaths by raising awareness and providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to people, said health experts.
"In the developed world there is an emphasis on providing CPR training to people in general. Compared to that, awareness in this regard is very low in Bangladesh," said Dr Abdul Wadud Chowdhury, head of the Cardiology Department at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, at a CPR training workshop for members of the Economic Reporters' Forum (ERF) yesterday.
HELO-IPDI Foundation – a voluntary organisation of cardiologists that has been putting togethert nationwide training workshops on CPR – organised the programme.
CPR is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions. It is often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person who is in cardiac arrest.
Dr Abdul Wadud Chowdhury, who is also the Chairman of IPDI Foundation, emphasised the role of journalists, and electronic and print media, in reducing cardiac arrest mortality in patients by teaching people the CPR procedure.
CPR has not become common practice in Bangladesh due to lack of trained manpower and public awareness. Many healthcare professionals are also not inclined to provide CPR support, fearing they may get into trouble if the patient dies even after providing CPR, said people involved in this sector.
According to global statistics, about 1.80 crore people die from heart disease every year. A significant portion of these deaths are caused by cardiac arrest.
According to researchers, the death rate among patients who suffer cardiac arrest is more than 90%.
ERF President Sharmeen Rinvy, Associate Professor of the National Heart Institute, Dr Mohsin Ahmed, Associate Consultant of the Cardiology Department of Evercare Hospital, Asif Zaman Tushar, among others, spoke at the workshop done at the ERF Auditorium in Paltan Tower.
ERF general secretary, SM Rashidul Islam, moderated the programme.
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