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    Knowing CPR can save precious lives

    Synopsis

    Many such cardiac arrest deaths could be avoided if a patient receives timely and essential medical assistance, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a lifesaving technique that's useful when someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped. Yet CPR training is rare in India. To address this gap, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Studies (NBEMS), an autonomous body under the ministry of health and family welfare, recently held a nationwide awareness programme on CPR.

    Knowing CPR CanSave Precious Lives.
    India contributes at least one-fifth of the 17.9 million cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related deaths worldwide, particularly among younger people, according to WHO. The most recent Global Burden of Disease study says India has a death rate of 272 per 1 lakh people due to CVDs, higher than the global average of 235. According to the latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), deaths due to cardiac arrests saw a 12.5% rise, from 28,413 in 2021 to 32,457 in 2022. NCRB data also put the sudden deaths at 56,450 for 2022, up from 50,734 in 2021.

    Many such cardiac arrest deaths could be avoided if a patient receives timely and essential medical assistance, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a lifesaving technique that's useful when someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped. Yet CPR training is rare in India. To address this gap, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Studies (NBEMS), an autonomous body under the ministry of health and family welfare, recently held a nationwide awareness programme on CPR.

    This is a welcome and much-needed step. NBEMS should not stop with one round of awareness programme and training. It must be sustained so that maximum number of people are sensitised and trained. Along with CPR, as a recent Lancet Commission study mentioned, India needs automated external defibrillators (AEDs), portable device that delivers an electric shock to the heart when it detects abnormal rhythm and changes it to normal, in public places, and impart basic training to the public on their use. Immediate CPR and AED use can double or triple the person's chance of survival. For genetic and dietary reasons, Indians are predisposed towards CVDs. Investing in CPR and AED training, and awareness can save precious lives.

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