First Aid

Fewer than 1 in 10 people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Around 7–8% of people in whom resuscitation is attempted survive to hospital discharge. Two of the most important factors which influence survival include the time between cardiac arrest and attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and early defibrillation. Immediate initiation of CPR can double or quadruple survival from out-hospital cardiac arrest. Defibrillation within 3–5 minutes of collapse can produce survival rates up to 50–70%. Each minute of delay reduces the probability of survival to hospital discharge by 10%.