Record number of cardiac arrest sufferers receive CPR from bystanders

The proportion of cardiac arrest patients given CPR by bystanders reached record levels last year, figures show.

Two thirds (66.1%) of patients received CPR from bystanders in 2021/22, the highest level recorded to date in Scotland, according to a report from the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS).

This was up from 41% before the launch in 2015 of Scotland’s Strategy for Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA).

About 3,140 people suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Scotland every year.

The OHCA report found that the 30-day survival rates for cardiac arrest patients has improved to one in 10.

This was up from one in 20 patients before the strategy was first introduced in 2015, and one in 14 during restrictions as a result of the pandemic.

The ambulance service said this improvement can be attributed to an increase in bystanders performing CPR and using public access defibrillators.

Pauline Howie, chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “These figures are really encouraging, and as we emerge from the pandemic, we want to see even higher survival rates.

“Working with the Save a Life for Scotland campaign and other partners, we aim to teach people from all walks of life that they can be a life-saver.

“Every second counts when someone has had a cardiac arrest and by equipping bystanders with the tools to help, through dialling 999, starting CPR and using a defibrillator, those suffering a cardiac arrest have a greater chance of survival.”

The number of Public Access Defibrillators (PAD) in communities across Scotland that are registered on the national defibrillator network has more than doubled since 2019 and now stands at almost 5,000.

Lisa MacInnes, director of the Save a Life for Scotland campaign, said: “Our aim is to equip everyone living in Scotland with CPR and skills and help them be CPR ready, because when someone has a cardiac arrest, every second counts.

“When the minutes are so important, you could be the difference in helping a stranger in need who’s just around the corner or a neighbour who needs your help. Visit savealife.scot to find out more.

The Scottish Ambulance Service said the chance of survival after OHCA in cases where CPR has not been performed is extremely low.

It said that when someone collapses and stops breathing normally, it is important to quickly call 999, perform hands-only CPR and use a defibrillator to give the person the best chance of survival.

Scotland’s Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy was refreshed in 2021 and aims to increase survival rates from the current rate of one in 10 people, and reach out to diverse communities to teach them the skills to perform bystander CPR.