| What's the Chain of Survival? |
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The Chain of Survival is a four-step process of providing treatment to
victims of sudden cardiac arrest. The first link in the Chain of Survival is early access
to care. This involves recognizing the symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest and calling 999
or another emergency number to dispatch emergency medical services (EMS) personnel to the
scene. The second link is early CPR. An individual trained in CPR administers ventilation
and compressions to the victim until a defibrillator or emergency response crews arrive at
the scene. These skills allow oxygen-rich blood to be circulated to the victim's brain.
The third link is early defibrillation. Early defibrillation means having a properly
working defibrillator immediately available at the site of an emergency and having a
trained lay rescuer deliver an electric shock and/or all emergency responding units (fire,
police, paramedics, etc) able to defibrillate when they arrive at the scene. The fourth
link is early advanced care. Early advanced care means the ability to quickly treat a
victim of sudden cardiac death with medications and advanced oxygen therapies.
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| Why is it important to call 999
first when a person collapses? |
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Although early defibrillation is the single most important treatment for
ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest, other treatments are also needed. Even if an AED
is available at the scene, a victim of cardiac arrest needs effective CPR with oxygen,
intravenous (IV) medications, often endotracheal intubation, and rapid transport to an
emergency department. These other links in the Chain of Survival optimize a victim's
chances of survival and recovery. In addition, not every cardiac emergency is due to
ventricular fibrillation (VF). Victims of non-VF emergencies need other skills and
treatments from EMS personnel.
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| What good does CPR do if a person
really needs defibrillation? |
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CPR provides some circulation of oxygen-rich blood to the victim's heart
and brain. This circulation delays both brain death and the death of heart muscle. CPR
buys time until the AED arrives and makes it more likely that VF will respond to
defibrillation shocks.
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| Why is early defibrillation so
important? |
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Early defibrillation is important because defibrillation is the only
known therapy for most sudden cardiac arrests. Most sudden cardiac arrests are caused by
ventricular fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm. VF causes the heart's electrical
impulses to become chaotic. The heart stops suddenly, and the victim collapses and loses
consciousness. Defibrillation can restore the heart's normal rhythm if it's done within
minutes of the arrest. Each minute of delay in returning the heart to its normal pattern
of beating decreases the victim's chance of survival by 7% to 10%.
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