‘Rake’ reboot saving lives: Menzies cardiology researchers roll out classic CPR video
Tasmanians have some of the nation's highest cardiac arrest rates but are less likely to perform life-saving CPR, prompting researchers to re-release a celebrity-backed education campaign.
In the critical minutes following a cardiac arrest, bystander assistance can mean the difference between death and survival.
But despite Tasmania having one of the highest rates of out-of-hospital heart attacks in the nation, residents of the island state are less likely to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation compared to those living in mainland states.
To counter this potentially deadly discrepancy, the Menzies Institute for Medical Research has re-released an educational video filmed in 2016, featuring the cast of ABC television legal comedy, Rake.
Cardiologist Dr Paul MacIntyre said the courtroom-based video, titled Shock Verdict and starring Richard Roxburgh in his role as fictional Sydney barrister Cleaver Greene, was a call to community action in a state where only 61 per cent of cardiac arrest cases received bystander CPR.
Dr MacIntyre said it was vital that more people knew what to do – and how fast to act - when witnessing a cardiac arrest.
“This campaign is about empowering everyday Tasmanians — trained or untrained — to take action,” he said on the two-year anniversary of the Menzies’ Cardiovascular Research Flagship.
“Hands-only CPR and automated external defibrillator use can nearly double survival rates.
“Share the video with your friends and family, you never know whose life you might save.”
With Tasmanian emergency service response times among the longest in the country, Menzies lead researcher, Professor Seana Gall, said bystanders were often a cardiac patient’s first and best chance for survival.
Prof Gall said statistics revealed that every minute without CPR or defibrillation intervention reduced survival chances by approximately 10 per cent.
“There is some good news - Tasmanians lead the nation in bystander use of defibrillators - and when CPR and defibrillation are combined, survival rates soar,” she said.
“Cardiac arrest doesn’t wait for an ambulance, learning CPR and knowing how to use a defibrillator a powerful thing to do for your community.”
Tasmania has an increasing network of life-saving defibrillators, with the GoodSAM app network also helping connect community responders to patients in the moments prior to ambulance arrival.
