'Be part of that solution': How to deal with cardiac events

On Monday, stunned fans looked on as Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and had CPR performed on him before being rushed to the hospital.

The team later reported the safety suffered a cardiac event after performing a tackle during Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The latest update on Friday said Hamlin was awake, had spoken with his teammates and is improving every day.

READ MORE: Bills' Damar Hamlin breathing on his own, joins team via video

But what happens when someone suffers a cardiac incident and there aren't top medical officials steps away from helping?

Cory Guest, a paramedic public education coordinator in Winnipeg, said the obvious first step for anyone is to call 911.

"Our 911 communication operators can direct you and can ultimately run the incident for you. They can walk you through CPR," said Guest.

Operators can also tell the caller where they can find the nearest AED or automated external defibrillator.

Guest said every city facility from a rec centre to a school has an AED.

"Our communication centre knows the addresses and places that have these devices in them. They know exactly where they are within the building, so they'll actually direct the community or public 911 caller to access these AEDs."

AEDs are used to shock the person who is suffering from the cardiac event by finding a shockable rhythm in the heart.

"So they'll recognize something called ventricular tachycardia, where ventricles of the heart are firing at very chaotic, rapid rates and the AEDs are designed to recognize that rhythm, and they will advise that a shock is required. The other one is called ventricular fibrillation, and that's essentially where the atria of the heart are chaotically firing or chaotically quivering, and the AED will recognize that rhythm."

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, as of March 2020, there were 4,467 registered AEDs in Manitoba, which is 324 devices per 100,000 people, which was the second highest per capita in the country.

Guest said knowing where an AED is located and using it is vital to saving people's lives, as every minute that passes equals around 10 per cent less chance of survival.

He added the devices are easy for anyone to use, but noted they shouldn't be used on infants and children who are below puberty for safety reasons.

APP CAN HELP FIND AEDS, PEOPLE TRAINED IN CPR

While it is beneficial having an AED in a city facility, what happens if someone goes into cardiac arrest away from these areas?

Guest said every year in Winnipeg, around 30 to 40 per cent of cardiac incidents happen in public.

Another tool the city has access to is PulsePoint Respond - an app created in 2011 by a California fire chief.

When a city signs up to the app, it connects directly to the dispatch centre. People who have CPR training can download the app and when a cardiac call comes in, it sends an alert to anyone who has the app in the area.

It can also show people where the closest AED is.

"The idea was really to get this technology in the hands of any community in North America, and really felt the importance of being able to tap into citizens who are trained in CPR, who could be nearby, but did not witness the cardiac arrest," said Shannon Smith, the vice president of communications for the PulsePoint Foundation.

Smith said this app is now being used throughout Canada and the United States, specifically in 4,398 communities in North America. She said there are 133,826 AEDs registered on the app.

"We have activated more than 200,000 cardiac arrests since launch and from those, we've alerted just over 670,000 nearby responders, and that's an average of three responders per incident."

She added with the use of this app, people are able to respond on average about three minutes before emergency crews are able to get to the scene.

The app also shows people how to perform CPR and provides people with a metronome to know how fast they need to provide chest compressions.

Guest said Winnipeg started using the app in 2019, and there are 7,000 subscribers. He added there is usually around 1,000 to 1,100 cardiac event calls every year.

"When you look at 30 or 40 per cent of about 1,100 cardiac arrests a year, that's a ton where the community can actually get involved and they can literally be the first responders," said Guest.

"What we know is the survival statistics, out of hospital cardiac arrests are actually very, very low. But we know if the community gets involved with quick CPR, quick access to 911 and they grabbed these devices to defibrillate that patient, the chance to survive will be dramatically higher."

With a tool like PulsePoint so readily available, both Guest and Smith said more of the public should look at taking CPR training.

"We can't depend on our first responders to get there in those first critical minutes, and we as a global community need to step in and learn CPR and understand AED, and really be part of that solution," said Smith.

"This is a tool that you can use in your personal life. If you love and care about somebody and you have that training at first aid, CPR training, it may be an opportunity to save somebody's life that you don't know, but it can also be an opportunity to save somebody that you love," said Guest.

Guest said there are several organizations that provide CPR training, such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation and encourages people to get trained.

- With files from The Associated Press