Uncategorized

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Japan Circulation Society’s special session to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of CPR worldwide and the 20^th anniversary of CPR in Japan.

This event was held as part of the 76^th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japan Circulation Society Resuscitation Science Symposium in Fukuoka, Japan. Presentations were given by Dr. Tsuyoshi Kawamura and Dr. Katsuhiko Hiramori, who were the first cardiologists to introduce CPR education to Hyogo and Iwate prefectures in Japan.

The session closed with awards presented to both pioneers from Dr. Takeshi Kimura, Chair of the JCS ECC Committee and from Dr. Gordon Tomaselli, President of the AHA, and to the group of volunteers at the JCS. Following the session, I also gave awards to each of the following 15 AHA Volunteers from the JCS to celebrate their lifesaving work in emergency cardiovascular care:

 

Hiroshi Nonogi, MD, PhD

Hiroyuki Hanada, MD, PhD

Tetsuya Sakamoto, MD, PhD

Chokoh Genka, MD, PhD

Migaku Kikuchi, MD, PhD

Hironori Saito, MD

Hiromi Seo, MD, PhD

Shuichi Suzuki, MD, PhD

Hiroshi Takahashi, MD, PhD

Yoshiaki Tomobuchi, MD

Hiroyuki Yokoyama, MD, PhD

Nobutaka Hirai, MD

Toshikazu Funazaki, MD, PhD

Toshihiko Mayumi, MD, PhD

 

Also during my trip to Japan, Dr. Tomaselli and AHA staff Michael Hulley and I attended the 10^th Citizen Education Seminar, where approximately 700 Fukuoka citizens learned about the dangers of smoking and the importance of learning CPR.

Following this seminar, we observed 100 citizens learn Hands-Only CPR using the AHA’s CPR Anytime kit, which they were able to take home so they can pass on this lifesaving skill to their loved ones.

From the Symposium to the CPR training it was an incredibly successful trip, and I am looking forward to the advances we can make with our Japanese partners in the future.

Earlier this week, on behalf of the AHA, I presented the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) a plaque commemorating the milestone training of the three millionth provider for the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP).

For more than two decades, the NRP of the AAP has set a national standard and an international example for training in the resuscitation of the newborn. AHA has been involved with neonatal resuscitation since its origin in 1987, through relationships with AAP and AHA volunteers. The association formally entered into an agreement with AAP to support NRP in 1998. This year marks the 25^th year of the NRP!

We are so proud that we have been able to work hand in hand with AAP to support this lifesaving program. We congratulate them on their achievements and hope for many years of future collaboration toward our shared goal of improving care and outcomes for neonatal resuscitation.

I wanted to share with you an amazing save story that showcases AHA’s lifesaving work and the viral impact of the Ad Council/AHA Hands-Only^TM CPR campaign.

Louis Sabat (an AHA Instructor since 1978) was mowing his front lawn when he suddenly collapsed. A neighbor saw the incident and called Louis’ daughter and 911. His daughter, Jennifer,  started CPR using rescue breathing within one minute. She then remembered the humorous message about a serious topic – the Hands-Only CPR video featuring actor and comedian Ken Jeoung (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5hP4DIBCEE). Her dad had showed her the video just the week prior. She then focused on performing Hands-Only CPR.

Due to this simple technique of calling 911, then pushing hard and fast on the center of the chest until help arrives, Louis is alive today!  

I believe this is a shining example of the importance and success of the simple Hands-Only CPR message, the Ad Council campaign that supported it and ongoing AHA Volunteer and staff efforts to bring it to life.

Keep spreading the message about these two simple steps that can, and did, save a life!

I’m excited to report that the AHA’s public service advertising campaign, the Hands-Only™ CPR Ad Council campaign, is coming off of its most successful quarter since its launch in October 2009. This campaign was designed to raise awareness of Hands-Only CPR and has included public service TV and radio spots, billboard and print advertising, as well as a viral media component. Here’s a quick look at how this campaign is making an impact among consumers and potential CPR bystanders:

• This quarter, estimated media impressions (number of people exposed to the campaign elements) tripled to 395 million impressions reported, which brings the total since the launch to 1.4 billion.

• From Oct. 2009 through Dec. 2011, there have been 1.6 million page views to the dedicated campaign website, www.handsonlycpr.org.

• 100,800 have viewed the Hands-Only CPR demonstration video since it was posted in October 2009.

We have also seen a dramatic increase in the awareness of Hands-Only CPR, from the benchmark online survey in August 2009, to the post-wave survey in 2010. Awareness of Hands-Only CPR has increased from 56% to 63% — an incredible jump. There was also an increase, from 53% to 63%, in the number of people who understood that Hands-Only CPR can be as effective as conventional CPR. While these statistics are encouraging, we know that much work lies ahead to continue to move the needle toward our 2020 Impact Goal of doubling bystander response.

We are dedicated to continuing the momentum of Hands-Only CPR through a new campaign I will be announcing in the coming months. From now through June 2012, keep your eyes peeled for our Hands-Only CPR billboards and TV and radio spots!

According to a Scientific Statement published January 9, 2012, in the AHA journal, Circulation, more people will survive sudden cardiac arrest with 9-1-1 dispatchers help bystanders assess victims and begin CPR immediately. While the 2010 AHA Guidelines for CPR & ECC advised 9-1-1 dispatchers to provide assistance, this statement provides more specific information about how dispatchers should provide such help and also emphasizes the importance of assessing the dispatcher’s actions. Highlights of the statement include the following recommendations:

• Dispatchers should help 9-1-1 callers identify cardiac arrest victims and coach callers to provide immediate CPR.
• If more dispatchers followed these processes, thousands of lives could be saved every year.
• Communities should regularly evaluate 9-1-1 emergency dispatchers’ performance and the overall emergency response system

 To support this AHA Scientific Statement, AHA CPR & First Aid has created a Dispatcher CPR web page that includes links to case studies and features actual 9-1-1 calls that allow viewers to listen to calls and try to determine where improvement is needed.

 I’m very pleased to see this statement published, as efforts to improve dispatcher CPR can make a significant impact toward the AHA’s 2020 Impact Goal of increasing bystander response and ultimately, doubling survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

View the full statement in Circulation. Also, below are links to supporting materials.  

• Top Ten Things To Know
•  News Release

Last week, the British Heart Foundation kicked off its own Hands-Only CPR campaign, inspired by the AHA’s Ad Council campaign. Due to the quick turnaround time for the foundation to prepare its campaign, in a true collaborative spirit, the AHA shared with the foundation its campaign research, rights to use the Hands-Only CPR name and provided additional consulting.

The foundation’s humorous “Hard & Fast” Hands-Only CPR campaign features British “hard man” Vinnie Jones, who encourages bystanders with a message that “it’s not as hard as it looks” to perform the two simple steps of calling 999 (the UK’s emergency response number), then pushing hard and fast to the beat of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.” A retired footballer turned actor, Jones is well-known in the UK for his tough man image, his aggressive style and intimidating demeanour.

The British Heart Foundation’s website features many campaign elements, including the campaign’s TV ad, which began airing in the UK on January 6, a blog and an “Ask Vinnie” application, a Hands-Only CPR instructional video and more. At the site, visitors also can sign a petition to make CPR training part of school curricula.

You can view all of the components of this campaign at www.bhf.org.

Again, this project is a fantastic example of collaborative work, which has allowed the British Heart Foundation to bring this lifesaving campaign to the UK public. Thanks to all involved in this project!

I wanted to share a moving story from this year’s Resuscitation Science Symposium.  Dr. Kelly Sawyer, the winner of the Best Abstract Award, which was presented at Saturday’s meeting, actually survived a cardiac event herself. She received therapeutic hypothermia, a treatment recommended in the 2005 AHA Guidelines for CPR & ECC, and went on to complete her research on this very topic. The attached article (top of page) appeared in Saturday’s issue of the Scientific Sessions Daily News.

 This is an inspiring example of how the AHA’s resuscitation research and science have made a lifesaving impact.

This weekend, we will be hosting  the 9^th annual Resuscitation Science Symposium (ReSS) in Orlando, and I wanted to provide you all with some background on this increasingly successful meeting.

 ReSS was founded by ECC Volunteers Lance Becker and Graham Nichol in 2003, as a pre-symposium to AHA’s Scientific Sessions. It serves as an international forum for innovation and collaboration between cardiac and trauma resuscitation scientists, and contributes to the ECC knowledge discovery, translation and transfer process through informing potential ECC Guidelines and education changes.

Over the last nine years, ReSS has grown significantly – from 250 attendees in 2003 to more than 1300 in 2010. It is now recognized as the premier annual resuscitation science conference in the world. Several AHA Scientific Statements have been published (or are in-progress) based upon ReSS presentations and discussions. Also, in 2008, Drs. Becker and Nichol were honored as recipients of the 2008 AHA Meritorious Achievement Award for their significant contributions to the development and growth of ReSS.

I will provide you with an update on some of the ReSS highlights when I return on Monday. If you have any questions about this symposium, please contact me or visit the ReSS web page for a look at the conference program.

Check out this survival story from 14-year-old Brittany Lobs. It is a powerful example of why CPR training as a graduation requirement is such a critical priority for the AHA. -John

As a sophomore in high school, I was nominated to Wichita’s American Heart Association’s Sweetheart program in 2002. At the time, I believed this experience would be an exciting adventure into the world of being a “big girl”. However. at fourteen years old, I could not grasp how this program would truly make me into the woman I am today.

Read more