Ambulance Victoria (AV) has launched its life-saving annual campaign Shocktober, which calls on residents in the Metro region to learn the three simple steps to improve cardiac arrest survival rates – Call, Push, Shock.
Around 21 Victorians suffer a cardiac arrest every day and only one in 10 survive, which is why it’s crucial that people know what to do.
Bystander intervention has the greatest impact on improving someone’s chance of surviving a cardiac arrest – for every minute that CPR is delayed, survival decreases by 10 per cent.
Shocktober is a month-long cardiac arrest awareness campaign to highlight the importance of learning CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
AV regional director Metro Vanessa Gorman said you don’t have to be a paramedic to be a life saver – it’s as easy as calling Triple Zero (000), pushing hard and fast in the middle of the person’s chest and if available, using an AED to deliver a shock.
“Every minute matters in a cardiac arrest and when a patient receives CPR and a shock before paramedics arrive, their chance of survival more than doubles,” she said.
“Last year, paramedics responded to a record 7,830 cardiac arrest patients but there was also a record amount of bystander intervention.
“Anyone can perform CPR and use an AED – you don’t need training or to be qualified.
“If someone is in cardiac arrest and an AED is available, simply open it and follow the instructions.”
AV will be out and about hosting community engagement sessions across the region.
Last October, AV organised 340 Shocktober events which reached more than 6700 Victorians.
While Victoria has the best cardiac arrest survival rates in Australia, and among the best in the world, Vanessa said there’s more to be done and we need your help.
Businesses, shop owners and sports clubs are also encouraged to ensure their AEDs are registered with the AV website and made publicly accessible, so 000 call takers can direct people to it in an emergency.
Currently, more than 13,000 AEDs are registered with AV across Victoria.
For more information about Shocktober, the GoodSAM app and how to perform CPR and use an AED, visit www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/shocktober.
To register your publicly accessible AED, visit registermyaed.ambulance.vic.gov.au.
