British Heart Foundation polling before Valentine’s Day shows half of couples admit they would be reluctant to try CPR on their partner for fear of harming them
Half of couples admit they would be reluctant to try CPR on their partner for fear of harming them.
The YouGov polling has been released in advance of Valentine’s Day alongside a touching story about a heroic pregnant woman who performed the lifesaving procedure on her husband. The British Heart Foundation, which commissioned the survey, says doing their online 15 minute course to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) “could be the greatest gift you give to someone you love”.
Primary school teacher Krystalla Panayi-Davidson was fast asleep when she was woken up in the middle of the night by a thud. Eight months pregnant at the time, Krystalla raced upstairs to find husband Lee collapsed on the bathroom floor.
The 36-year-old from Newton Abbott in Devon said: “I kept asking if he was ok but there was no answer and I knew there was something wrong. I tried to push the door and I couldn’t get in so I really started to panic. When I got in, Lee’s feet were up against the bathroom door and he was laying against the shower in a really contorted position and I knew something was really wrong.”
Lee had stopped breathing so Krystalla dialled 999 and began CPR which she carried on despite her condition until paramedics arrived to take over. Before his cardiac arrest Lee was fit and healthy with no family history of heart problems. He was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a device that can correct abnormal heart rhythms.
Their daughter Martha was born one month later.
There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year less than one in ten people survive. Early CPR and defibrillation can more than double survival chances.
Lee, aged 39, said: “It took me the entire 16-day stay in hospital for me to actually understand what Krystalla had done to save my life. I don’t think anyone could have done what she did – especially at 35 weeks pregnant. I am so grateful to be here to be a dad to Martha. The most distressing thing was thinking that I could have left her without a dad before she was even born and that I was so close to not meeting her.”
Krystalla, who had luckily done a training course in CPR, added: “I take so many photos of Martha and Lee together, because I just think this is something I may never have seen. It’s just the little moments that make me emotional, like seeing Lee read or sing to Martha. CPR has given Lee a second chance of life by being able to see the birth of his daughter. I’d urge everyone to learn CPR because it could be your loved one who needs it.”
Eight out of 10 cardiac arrests happen at home so you are more likely to have to give CPR to a loved one. Polling of 4,200 adults for the British Heart Foundation shows 51% of people who live with their partner said the fear of causing harm would make them reluctant to give CPR. Some 43% of people either married or living as married said they wouldn’t feel confident performing CPR. The survey found 22% had seen someone have a cardiac arrest in front of them 31% had still not received any CPR training.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at the British Heart Foundation, said: “With most out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happening in our homes, we all need to be ready to give CPR to a loved one. No matter your relationship status, everyone needs to know CPR. Our Heart Month survey found that people’s fear of hurting someone could prevent them from giving CPR, which could be the difference between life and death. Doing something is always better than doing nothing and through RevivR, we’ve made it easier than ever to learn. It only takes 15 minutes to learn CPR and could be the greatest gift you give to someone you love.”
The BHF’s free online tool RevivR teaches lifesaving CPR skills in 15 minutes, using just a mobile phone or tablet and a cushion. Click HERE to try it.
