Every one manning PCR van will be trained in CPR, a life saving technique

Delhi Police will learn to bring dead back to life

New Delhi, July 7: Sudden death is not a death till 10 minutes. In the mean time, the dead can be brought back to life by a technique called CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation). If Delhi Police PCR van staff is armed with this technique, lives of a lot many people could be saved.

The idea mooted by Dr. K.K. Aggarwal, Secretary General, Indian Medication Association (IMA), seemed so fascinating that Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi said ‘yes’ without thinking even a bit about it.

Today, IMA started training the first batch of Delhi police PCR van staff. Mr. Bassi inaugurated the event and expressed happiness over being part of it.

The life science behind this is that after sudden death happens to someone, brain takes 10 minutes to die. If heart can be revived during this time, he or she can be brought back to life. This technique CPR involves compressing of chest continuously in a certain manner. The CPR training is delivered through a mannequin. Dr. Aggarwal simplifies the process thus- ‘If any one of your near dear ones suddenly dies, do not thump your chest, rather thump the chest of the dead.’

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique useful in many emergencies, including heart attack or near drowning, in which someone’s breathing or heartbeat has stopped.

Dr. Aggarwal said, ‘ If all 8 thousand Delhi police PCR van staff is armed with this technique, most of the lives will be saved through this technique because the fastest to reach an accident site or an emergency situation are the neighborhood PCR vans given the shortage of ambulances in the National Capital Region.

The top cop B.S. Bassi said, ‘Delhi police will be happy to deliver this service to the people till inadequacies of Ambulance services in Delhi are addressed. There are many cities in India where Ambulance services are very effective. He gave the example of Goa where an Ambulance reaches the spot about the same time PCR van does.

But there were some apprehensions regarding the technique among the rank and file of Delhi police who had gathered in IMA headquarter for the training. These apprehensions are the same which stop common people to become good Samaritans when they see someone unconscious lying on the road. One of them said, ‘supposing someone fell unconscious in the police lock up and we administer the technique and it fails to revive, we could be blamed that we killed him’.  Some of them wondered how they would administer the technique if the victim is a woman.

However, as part of a first of its kind initiative, Heart Care Foundation of India will be training over 8000 Delhi Police PCR van staff in the life-saving technique of hands only CPR-10. The 40-day long training camp is being organized by the NGO in association with the Indian Medical Association, Delhi State Branch of Indian Red Cross Society & Delhi Police. Over 250 police offers were trained today. The project will be completed by 15^th August 2015. Delhi, a city of 22 million people, has only 152 state-run ambulances. That’s one for every 144,736 people. However, the World Health Organization states that there should be at least one ambulance per 100,000 people clearly indicating the shortage in the capital. In such cases, the first to reach most accident venues and emergency situations are the 8000 police persons who man all the PCR vans in Delhi.

It is a known fact that 50 percent of the people who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest can be brought back to life within 10 minutes of their death if someone performs hands only CPR on them. By the coming Independence Day, Delhi will now be the only city in the country where each and every police person manning the PCR van will be able to provide emergency CPR and first aid to victims,

Dr. Aggarwal further said, ‘ Around 240,000 people die every year due to heart attacks in the country and we believe that 50% of them can be saved if 20% of the population learns hands only CPR. We are extremely happy to announce this first of its kind initiative being organized jointly by the Heart Care Foundation of India, IMA, Delhi Police and the Indian Red Cross Society to train 8000 police personnel in this life-saving technique.  Hands-Only CPR 10 is easy to learn; can be performed by anyone and is extremely effective. What people need to remember is two things, one CPR must not be practiced on a person who is breathing, has a pulse rate and is clinically alive. It must be administered within ten minutes of someone’s death and continued till the ambulance arrives, or the person is revived.’

‘The Heart Care Foundation of India Hands- Only CPR 10 mantra is: Within 10 minutes of death (earlier the better), for a minimum of 10 minutes (longer the better), compress the center of the chest of the deceased person continuously and effectively with a speed of 10×10 = 100 per minute’ he added.

A sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the electrical conducting system of the heart fails. Soon after, the heart suddenly stops beating and the blood flow to the brain stops. As a result, the person becomes unconscious and stops normal breathing. A cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack, but it may be caused by a heart attack. In most cases, sudden cardiac arrest may be reversible in the first 10 minutes. This is possible because the brain remains alive during this period when the heart and respiration have stopped, a situation called clinical death.

Continuous compression only CPR compresses the heart between the sternum and the backbone and builds up the pressure that keeps the oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and keeps the person alive until a defibrillator becomes available or expert medical help arrives. Therefore, if you see someone collapse from sudden cardiac arrest, acting promptly can save his or her life. It is important to act quickly for every minute lost reduces the chances of revival by 10%.