PINT OF LIFE
The conductor Mariss Jansons suffered a cardiac arrest during a concert in Oslo. The cry went out: “Is there a doctor in the house?” About a third of the audience stood up. Norwegian doctors love their classical music.
Most people are less lucky. In this country if you collapsed in the street you would have a 2% chance of someone coming to your rescue and performing CPR, according to Chris Tancock. Chris, whose parents live in Burford, is a volunteer with St John’s Ambulance and provides basic training through his organisation Pint of Life. In July he put on two one hour courses to explain what you can do - how to recognise the signs of cardiac arrest and respond to it during the vital minutes before paramedics arrive, a time which can literally make the difference between life and death.
This included a demonstration of use of a defibrillator, a device now available in many towns and villages. Basically you just press the “on” button and a voice tells you what to do. It’s that easy.
Those attending were pleased to feel that they could do something to help, and anything that helps is better than doing nothing. More details of Chris’s courses can be found on his website www.pintoflife.org
Editors
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