L'importance de l'apprentissage de la RCP

Qu'est-ce que la réanimation cardio-pulmonaire ?

La réanimation cardio-pulmonaire (RCP) est une procédure d'urgence visant à faire battre à nouveau votre cœur lorsqu'il s'arrête inopinément (arrêt cardiaque). Lorsque votre cœur s'arrête de battre, il cesse de pomper le sang dans votre corps, ce qui prive votre cerveau d'oxygène. Plus le cerveau reste longtemps sans oxygène, plus le risque de lésions cérébrales et de décès est élevé. La réanimation cardio-pulmonaire peut maintenir le sang en circulation jusqu'à l'arrivée d'une aide médicale professionnelle.

How to perform CPR

Pourquoi l'apprentissage de la réanimation cardio-pulmonaire est-il important ?

Sans RCP, votre risque de mourir augmente considérablement après un arrêt cardiaque. En apprenant la RCP, vous pouvez devenir un héros et sauver la vie de quelqu'un d'autre. Les minutes consacrées à l'apprentissage de la RCP peuvent signifier une vie sauvée. La campagne RevivR de la British Heart Foundation met ce pouvoir entre vos mains. En suivant son cours gratuit de 15 minutes sur la RCP en ligne, vous pourriez être prêt à agir en cas d'urgence.

Andy's story

Andy Bleasby of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, performed life-saving CPR in a familiar yet seemingly unlikely place.

"I was actually in the pub, about to watch a local rugby game," says the father of two. "I was just chatting with my in-laws when my friend told me someone had collapsed around the corner. I thought, "That doesn't sound good", so I got up to see what was happening.

Due to his role as an operating department practitioner (ODP), Andy undergoes yearly CPR training. So when he saw a man lying unconscious and unresponsive on the floor of the pub, his instinctive response was to step in and perform immediate CPR.

"My friend and I took turns performing CPR until the ambulance team arrived. The person survived and is now living a normal life. I even went to his 65th birthday party."

Andy says knowing how to do CPR was vital for the person whose life he helped save.

"There are many organisations running free CPR training and basic life support courses," he says. "So if you have the opportunity to go on one - do it. You never know when it’s going to come in useful. Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone - it may be a stranger in a pub, or it could be a family member in your own house."

"Anything you can do is a bonus," says Andy. "Even if you haven't had CPR training - or only watched it on TV - if you can attempt to do what you can do, that's better than nothing. It gives that person a greater chance of survival."

For more inspiring stories about the life-saving power of CPR, tune in to Emma's story.