Almost half of Scots who have heart attack outside hospital get CPR

Almost half of Scots who suffer a heart attack outside of a hospital have CPR performed on them by passers-by.

Almost half of Scots who suffer a heart attack outside of hospital are given CPR by passers-by

Bystander CPR can be crucial in helping heart attack victims survive, with the number of people who receive such help on the rise.

Over the period 2011 to 2014/15, just over two fifths (41.3 per cent) of those who suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest received CPR. This figure increased to 49.3 per cent in 2015/16 to 2016/17.

NHS data showed in 2016/17 Scottish Ambulance Service staff resuscitated 3,455 patients who had a heart attack – up from 2,692 in 2011/12.

Survival rates for this group have improved from 6.2 per cent who were still alive 30 days after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in 2011 to 2014/15 to 7.7 per cent in in 2015/16 to 2016/17

Public health minister Health Aileen Campbell said: “It’s incredibly encouraging to see more people than ever before are surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest and go home to friends and family.

“The latest stats also show almost half of those who suffer an out of hospital cardiac arrest receive bystander CPR.

“This is critical to improving survival, but we know we have more to do and will continue to work to encourage everyone to get involved and learn these lifesaving skills.

“A key part of this is the work of our Save Life For Scotland (SALFS) partners, who since 2015 have equipped over 200,000 people across Scotland with CPR.

“Spreading the message that any CPR is better than no CPR is a key part of our Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy for Scotland which strives to make us an international leader in OHCA, training 500,000 people by 2020.”