Restart a Heart!

What is Restart a Heart Day 2024?

Restart a Heart Day is an annual observance dedicated to raising awareness about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the importance of knowing how to restart a heart that has stopped beating. This day serves as a reminder that anyone can learn basic CPR skills and potentially save a life in the event of a cardiac arrest. Restart a Heart Day encourages individuals, schools, organizations, and communities to participate in CPR training and to become equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to respond to emergencies effectively.

When is Restart a Heart Day 2024?

Restart a Heart Day is observed annually on October 16th. In 2024, this important day falls on a Wednesday, providing an ideal opportunity for individuals and groups to learn and practice CPR techniques and life-saving skills. Children all over the UK today from KS1 to to A-levels are learning how to save a life!

How to get involved with Restart a Heart Day 2024?

Participating in Restart a Heart Day allows you to contribute to emergency preparedness and potentially save lives. Here are some meaningful ways to get involved:

1. Learn CPR:?Take a CPR training course to learn the proper techniques for cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
2. Host CPR Training:?Organize CPR training sessions in your community, workplace, or school and invite certified instructors to teach essential life-saving skills.
3. Practice AED Use:?Familiarise yourself with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and how to use them in emergencies.
4. Spread Awareness:?Share information about Restart a Heart Day and the importance of CPR training with your friends, family, and social networks.
5. Support First Aid Initiatives:?Donate to organisations that provide first aid and CPR training to underserved communities or schools.
6. Know Emergency Numbers:?Familiarise yourself with local emergency phone numbers and know how to access emergency services.

Defibrillation

The heart is controlled by an electrical impulse that makes it beat in a regular rhythm, keeping you alive. When a person has a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the normal rhythm becomes disrupted and disorganised, which means their heart can’t beat properly and they won’t be able to breathe normally.

For every minute that someone’s in cardiac arrest without receiving CPR and having a defibrillator used on them, their chance of survival decreases by 10%. That’s why it’s so important to act immediately.

A defibrillator gives a jolt of energy to the heart, which can help restore the heart’s rhythm, and get it beating normally again.?This simple piece of equipment is easy to use and doesn’t require training, but it could make the difference between life and death?– so it’s important to find and use a defibrillator in an emergency.

You might also hear a defibrillator be called a defib, an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) or a PAD (Public Access Defibrillator).

Where is your nearest defibrillator?

If you see someone suffering a cardiac arrest, ring 999 and ask for an ambulance. The ambulance call handler will guide you through?how to perform CPR,?and they will also tell you where your nearest defibrillator is.

If you don't know where your nearest defibrillator is you can use the link below:

https://www.defibfinder.uk/

For more information go to https://www.resus.org.uk/get-involved/restart-heart-day