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First aid
CPR is part of the chain of survival, which includes early access (to emergency
medical services), early CPR, early defibrillation, and early advanced care.
Some first aid trainers also advocate the performance of CPR as part of the
choking protocol, if all else has failed.
Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death, happening to approximately
one in 8000 people per annum outside a hospital setting in the USA. CPR can
double or triple the victim's chances of survival when commenced immediately
(see 'effectiveness' below). According to United States 'Annals of Emergency
Medicine', only 25% of victims of a witnessed cardiac arrest are administered
CPR by a bystander, with a further 33% receiving some CPR as a result of
dispatcher instructions. This leaves 41% of victims receiving no CPR prior to
the arrival of the emergency medical services.
Rapid access to defibrillation is also vital. The most common cause of cardiac
arrest outside of a hospital is ventricular fibrillation (VF), a potentially
fatal arrhythmia that is usually (but not always) caused by a heart attack and
is responsive to defibrillation. Other causes of cardiac arrest include
drowning, drug overdose, poisoning, electrocution.
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