Every minute-and-a-half in the U.S., and every 45 seconds in Europe, a person dies as a result of a sudden cardiac arrest¹,² – if you witnessed a cardiac arrest, what would you do?
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is today launching the Save Lives website (www.SaveLives.net), an online campaign to inform people across the world about sudden cardiac arrest and to empower them to act.
Using award winning design to provide user-friendly information on key aspects of the condition, www.SaveLives.net aims to educate people on the importance of acting quickly when someone suffers from a sudden cardiac arrest. It includes advice on the use of automated external defibrillators (AED), which are simple to use, available in an increasing number of public places and when used correctly with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), significantly increase the chances of saving a life.
It is estimated that globally, approximately seven million people die of sudden cardiac arrest every year,3 including an estimated 325,000 deaths in the U.S. and 700,000 across Europe.1,2
“Through SaveLives.net, Philips is looking to inspire and empower the general public to take action in cases of sudden cardiac arrest,” commented Anthony Jones, Head of Marketing, Patient Care and Clinical Informatics, Philips Healthcare. “For the majority of people who suffer a cardiac arrest, a member of the public will be the first person onsite and able to provide treatment. SaveLives.net aims to ensure the action they take is the right action, and that they’re ultimately able to help save lives.”
A sudden cardiac arrest leaves the heart unable to beat regularly and for every minute before a victim is defibrillated, the chances of survival are reduced by between seven and 10 percent.4 It is only by resetting the heart’s rhythm with an electric current, delivered by a defibrillator, that a normal heart rhythm can be regained.
1 Heart Rhythm Foundation website – http://www.heartrhythmfoundation.org/facts/scd.asp (accessed May 2012)
2 Koster et al. European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2010. Section 2. Adult basic life support and use of automated external defibrillators. Resuscitation 2010;81: 1277-1292
3 Mehra R. ‘Global public health problem of sudden cardiac death.’ Journal of Electrocardiology 2007; 40 (6 Suppl):S118-22
4 Callens D.J. New England Journal of Medicine 2004; 351:632
