WORKING in the trenches of the John Hunter Hospital emergency department (ED) has inspired a group of doctors and nurses to build an army of people who can step up to do CPR to save lives and improve outcomes.
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Dr Mark Miller, the ED specialist behind the Hunter Heart Safe training program, said early defibrillation and CPR could make a "huge difference".
"We know that cardiac arrest survival rates in Australia are about 10 per cent. But with early defibrillation and early CPR, that can be boosted up to about 65 per cent," he said.
"Most of our volunteers work in the ED. They are doctors and nurses who are seeing - everyday - people who come in after a cardiac arrest who often do very badly, and part of the reason they do badly is because they don't get bystander CPR or early defibrillation. We can't change much once they get to hospital - often the damage is done by then. But we figure the best way we can contribute to the outcomes in cardiac arrests is by teaching the community how to get on the front foot and confidently step in until help arrives."
Dr Miller is still recruiting doctors, nurses and paramedics to help train businesses, community groups, and schools in "hands only" CPR.
"It's easier to teach and is far more acceptable to the community who are not as keen to do mouth-to-mouth on strangers," he said.
"We try to keep it simple - 100 compressions a minute, to a third of the chest depth, hard and fast, and importantly, don't stop."
Among Dr Miller's team of volunteers is Dr David Durrheim, a public health physician for Hunter New England Health.
Next month will mark five years since Dr Durrheim himself suffered a cardiac arrest while out for a morning run. But he was one of the lucky ones. Dr Miller happened to be nearby.
"I was called over by a lady who had found David collapsed in the bush, so I started CPR on him, and with the assistance of the other bystander, we performed CPR for 17 minutes until the ambulance arrived with a defibrillator. He survived, neurologically in tact, and fairly unscathed.
"If you do CPR, you keep the heart in a shock-able rhythm, you also keep the brain alive.
"It drove home to me that anyone could be doing this.
"A witnessed arrest with good, early CPR and early defibrillation makes a huge difference to outcomes. But any delays costs brain, and heart, and reduces chances of survival."
Dr Durrheim said he was not aware of any problematic symptoms prior to attempting a morning run at Green Point Reserve about five years ago.
"I only managed about 150 metres, and fortunately, it was before I ducked off into thick bush," he said.
"A lady who was out walking came across my body. No breathing. No pulse. Cold. Blue.
"Fortunately, Mark was out going for a walk with his puppy that morning and he heard the commotion and came dashing to help.
"Mark was God's hands. I am living proof of the value of out-of-hospital cardiac compressions.
"I am eternally grateful. Extremely grateful. The more people who can actually be trained, the better off we will all be in Australia."
Find out more about training sessions or volunteering via hunterheartsafe@gmail.com, or find them on Instagram and Facebook.
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