The Physicians and Paramedics Urging Life Saving Education (PULSE), wants all Ontarians to be prepared to respond in cases of an emergency requiring the use of CPR.
PULSE has launched their Link to Life Campaign in an effort to increase the number of Ontarians capable of performing basic CPR on victims of sudden cardiac arrest and for legislation to make it mandatory for all Grade 12 students to pass a certified basic CPR course in order to receive their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, up to 85 per cent of cardiac arrests occur at home or in public places and almost half are witnessed by a family member or friend. In Ontario alone, approximately 7,000 out-of hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur annually. The survival rate of victims for an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a dismal five per cent. However, CPR performed by a bystander while the emergency medical team is on its way quadruples a person's chance of being successfully resuscitated. Furthermore, defibrillation when used in conjunction with CPR in the first few minutes can dramatically improve cardiac arrest survival rates by more than 50 per cent.
To increase adult proficiency in the use of CPR, PULSE is also asking the Government of Ontario to: