This is the message Ambulance Victoria has put out as part of Shocktober, a month-long campaign to equip all Victorians with basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills.
Every day around 21 Victorians suffer a cardiac arrest, with just 1 in 10 surviving – that’s why immediate action is critical.
A cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood effectively around the body.
For every minute that CPR is delayed, survival decreases by 10 per cent.
But… when a patient receives CPR and a shock from an automated external defibrillator (AED) before paramedics arrive, their chance of survival more than doubles.
Restart A Heart Day today is part of the Shocktober campaign and is a global initiative to raise awareness and educate our community about learning CPR and how to use an AED.
By knowing how to perform CPR and use an AED we can improve cardiac arrest survival rates and help save lives, together.
To learn more visit the Ambulance Victoria website.