• What is a cardiac arrest?
• Chain of survival
• Why you should know how to restart a heart
• How you can get involved
• Downloadable Resources

Restart a Heart Day happens every year on the 16^th of October. It is an annual initiative led by Resuscitation Council UK and its aim is to increase the number of people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.

We want to increase public awareness of cardiac arrests and the number of people trained in life-saving CPR.

What is a cardiac arrest?

A cardiac arrest is when someone’s heart suddenly stops beating and their breathing is abnormal or has stopped.

Chain of survival

When someone collapses and stops breathing normally, it is important to quickly call 999, perform hands-only CPR and use a defibrillator.

1. Early recognition and call for help - to prevent cardiac arrest.
2. Early CPR - to buy time.
3. Early Defibrillation - to restart the heart.
4. Post resuscitation care - to restore quality of life.

Why you should know how to restart a heart

• Over 30,000 people suffer cardiac arrests outside of hospital in the UK every year.
• If a bystander starts CPR immediately before the arrival of the ambulance, the chance of survival can double.
• Today, if you suffer a cardiac arrest out of hospital in the UK, you have less than a one in ten chance of surviving.
• Defibrillation within 3–5 min can produce survival rates as high as 50%–70%.

Millions of people in the UK don’t have the opportunity to learn the key life-saving skill of CPR – putting lives at risk across the UK. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance want to educate people and give them the opportunity to learn CPR. We hope that this means everyone has the best chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.

How you can get involved

• Lifesaver Learning - an interactive training tool to learn lifesaving skills such as CPR and defibrillation skills.
• Learn CPR in 15 minutes - a fast, free and easy-to-use training course from the British Heart Foundation.
• Download the First Aid App - a free first aid app from British Red Cross covering 19 first aid skills.
• Find your nearest defibrillator -  Find your nearest device before you need it by looking at the British Heart Foundation’s Defibfinder.

Downloadable Resources

• CPR Flier - shows the simple steps to perform CPR. Perfect for printing and sharing with friends, family and your community.