The desire to train bystanders in Denmark on CPR procedures has bore fruits as the survival rates have tripled one year after the inception of the program.

The research was done by Mads Wissenberg, who is work at Copenhagen University Hospital in Hellerup. He has published some of his finding in the Journal JAMA.

The national training programs were started as a result of the low survival rates from cardiac arrest victims in Denmark. Experts had established this by studying over 19,468 Danish patients over a period of 10 years. According to the study the percentage of people who survived after bystanders administered CPR on them significantly increased from 21% to 45%. They also noticed that the number of victims reaching hospital alive doubled.

Converting Denmark’s approach to cater for needs in the US

According to Kevin R. Campbell, a cardiologist at the University of North Carolina, it’s essential for American citizens to learn CPR based on the success witnessed in Denmark. His remarks are also shared by Jared T. Bunch, medical director of electrophysiology at Intermountain Heart Institute, who identifies the study done in Denmark as proof that public awareness does increase survival rates of cardiac arrest victims.

According to Bunch, the increase of survivors can be attributed to the increase in number of people able to administer CPR. This has been made possible after a lot of them had undergone training. Cities witnessing over 50% survival rates have community awareness programs put in place. They also boast of other things such as efficient hospitals, early response systems and extensive training of bystanders on administration of CPR. Bunch adds that everyone should be trained on the procedure.

How AED and CPR will improve survival rates in U.S

The main question is whether the achievements in Denmark can be replicated in the United States. It’s very possible according to Dr. Campbell thinks that AED (automatic external defibrillators) is the only place that needs some emphasis. He was of the idea that emphasis on CPR should coincide with that of AED since it can equally impact on survival rate.

Dr. Campbell said that there is no reason as to why survival rates can’t soar past the 50% mark if the country improves its early response by administering CPR and defibrillation. He added that there is a high likelihood that improvements achieved can be raised to even 100%.

Acquiring CPR bystander training

Dr. Campbell said that people can find and access CPR training facilities at their local hospitals. One can also look at the local chapter of American Red cross to get the list of all CPR classes in their area. This can even made simpler by visiting the Red Cross website and selecting your area of residence.

The AHA (American Heart Association) website gives important information on CPR, skill building, online courses and local resources available. They also have the mandate to certify CPR training.