Sudden death causes 40,000 deaths a year in Argentina. RCP and DEA are key to saving lives: preventing and training is urgent.
“It is better to prevent than regret.” As thirty as it seems, within its simplicity, this saying houses a great truth about the health and medicine to which we must pay attention. For 25 years, every September 29, heart week begins. This commemoration, promoted by the World Federation of the Heart with the support of WHO and UNESCO, usually focus on prevention and controls, two fundamental needs.
However, we do not always pay so much attention to sudden death, which is the unexpected loss of cardiac function – also implies respiratory and cerebral dysfunction – which suddenly occurs in a seemingly healthy person. When it occurs, the only possibility of saving the patient depends on two factors: applying cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers (CPR) immediately and having an automatic external defibrillator (DEA) within reach.
The data is overwhelming: the Argentine Society of Cardiology states that in Argentina there are 40,000 sudden deaths a year and for every minute that passes without attention, the probability of surviving falls 10%. In addition, according to data from the Argentine Federation of Cardiology, 70% of these episodes happen outside the hospital. That means that the difference between life and death is not in an operating room, but in our hands, in the office, in a club, in a school, in a commercial premises or on the street, so we must always be prepared to face these situations.
When contemplating that there is a sudden death per 1000 inhabitants, the national legal framework promotes measures to “protect” spaces, both public and private, where a large number of people are agglomerate. Decree 402/2022 of the Ministry of Health of the Nation forces that in places of mass concurrence there is at least one accessible DEA and Personal trained in CPR. For its part, National Law 27,159 for promotion and training in CPR and DEA promotes similar policies. Despite this, specialists notice a lack of inspection in some places and regulatory confusion between provinces and municipalities.
Taking into account this deficiency in the legal framework and notable statistics, both institutions and individuals must take the step forward and prevent this type of emergencies, training and equipping ourselves to have protected cardio spaces.
The RCP is a vital emergency procedure that is done when a person has stopped breathing or his heart has stopped beating. It is a combination of thoracic compressions and mouth -to -mouth breathing to maintain the circulation of oxygenated blood until breathing and heartbeat can be restored. For its part, the DEA is a medical device that analyzes the heart rate and, if necessary, manages an electric shock to try to restore a normal beat. DEAs are easy to use and are designed so that anyone, without any medical training, can apply it in emergency situations.
Perhaps, for those who are not internalized with the theme, these acronyms can be oblivious. But today they are necessary elements and that are available: there are numerous organizations that offer CPR training courses for companies, educational and individual institutions. In the case of the DEA, you can both buy and rent with prices that resemble other services, such as an alarm or an extinguisher.
Logically, one wishes to have to start a protocol of this type. But it is our duty as members of society to be ready to act in the case of being necessary. The tools – that is, the CPR and the DEA – are available and available to everyone. It remains on our side to stop postponing, train and prepare, since the life of thousands of Argentines can depend on this.
Jotatec co -founder
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
