Welsh heart charity Calon Hearts is calling for greater awareness of the barriers that can prevent women receiving lifesaving CPR after a cardiac arrest and for CPR training to better reflect the different people may encounter in a real emergency.
Research has found that women who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are less likely than men to receive CPR from a bystander.
One major European study found that 67.9% of women received bystander CPR compared with 72.7% of men. The difference remained even when the cardiac arrest had been witnessed, while survival to hospital discharge was also lower among women.
Possible barriers include uncertainty or embarrassment about touching a woman’s chest when performing CPR, something Calon Hearts says must never prevent somebody stepping forward to help.
Sharon Owen, founder and CEO of Calon Hearts, said:
“Cardiac arrest does not discriminate and neither should the response to it.
“It is incredibly concerning that a woman experiencing a cardiac arrest may have a lower chance of somebody stepping forward and performing CPR simply because she is a woman.
“When somebody is unresponsive and not breathing normally, there is no room for embarrassment. Starting CPR and using a defibrillator could give that person their best chance of survival.
“But we also need to look at how we prepare people for that moment. If people only ever practise CPR on the same traditional manikin, are we doing enough to give them the confidence to respond when the person in front of them looks different?
“Training should reflect real life. People need to feel confident performing CPR on women as well as men, on different body shapes and sizes, and in the situations they may actually encounter.”
Resuscitation Council UK has recently highlighted the use of breast vests which can be fitted to standard CPR manikins, allowing people to practise CPR on a more realistic representation of a female body.
Calon Hearts believes normalising CPR training across different body types could help remove some of the hesitation people may experience in an emergency.
The charity, which has trained hundreds of thousands of people in CPR, is urging everyone to learn the lifesaving skill and have the confidence to act.
Calon Hearts’ advice is simple: if someone is unresponsive, call 999 immediately. If they are not breathing, start CPR straight away and use a defibrillator as soon as one is available. The ambulance call handler will talk you through what to do if you are unsure.
Most importantly, don’t be afraid to act. Whether the person is a woman or a man, stepping in and starting CPR could help save their life.
Sharon added:
“We want as many people as possible to have the confidence to step forward rather than step back when somebody collapses.
“This research gives all of us involved in CPR education something else to think about. Training isn’t only about knowing the technique – it is about making sure people feel able to use it when it really matters.
“Whether the person in front of you is a man or a woman, the message is the same: call 999, start CPR and get a defibrillator. Never let embarrassment stop you trying to save a life.”
Help make your workplace or community heart-safe
Calon Hearts is also encouraging businesses, schools, sports clubs and communities to consider whether they have access to a defibrillator – and whether people know how to use it.
If you are considering purchasing a defibrillator, get in touch with Calon Hearts. The charity can provide a defibrillator and come to your workplace or community to show you how to use it, with CPR training included so that people have both the equipment and the confidence to act in an emergency.
Calon Hearts is also inviting communities and organisations to apply for support through its Summer Defib Scheme, which provides grants towards the cost of a defibrillator.
Find out more at calonhearts.org
