Ever wonder how you would – or should – respond to someone suffering cardiac arrest?
Well, now you can go online and participate in the “Save-a-Life Simulator,” an interactive tool to “promote proper and timely bystander response to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).”
According to the Medtronic Foundation, point-of-view videos put the viewer in the shoes of an everyday mallgoer who witnesses a person suffering sudden cardiac arrest. The simulator allows viewers to decide the fate of the victim by making critical choices – beginning with deciding on whether to help the victim.
The basic response Medtronic’s HeartRescue Project is hoping for: call 911, start chest compressions immediately and use an AED if available.
According to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac arrest strikes nearly 400,000 Americans each year. Research shows that communities with higher bystander CPR participation show higher survival rates for sudden cardiac arrest. However, overall survival rates in the United States have not improved in more than 30 years – hovering around 8 percent.
"When it comes to responding to SCA, the worst thing you can do is nothing," says Dr. Michael Sayre, an associate professor and emergency physician with The Ohio State University and medical director of the HeartRescue Project. "This experience was designed to provide a new way of engaging people, encouraging them to learn about SCA and how to respond by immersing them in a virtual, yet life-like experience."
To test your response skills and learn what you can do to save a life, go to HeartRescueNow.com. You can also find the HeartRescue Project on Twitter and YouTube.