CPR, Italians fail
Only 16% of Italians would perform CPR correctly in the event of cardiac arrest. 29% would simply call for help, 21% would offer support without taking direct action, and 32% would only act if guided by an operator on the phone.
These are some of the findings that emerge from a study by the Opinion Leader 4 Future Observatory, an information awareness project launched in 2023 as a collaboration between Credem and Almed (the Graduate School of Media, Communication, and Entertainment at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart), relaunched by the Italian Resuscitation Council (IRC) on the occasion of International Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Day, which falls on October 16. Among the main reasons for resistance are the fear of making the situation worse (56%) and a lack of knowledge of emergency procedures (42%).
Although 63% of Italians say they are fairly (57%) or very (6%) knowledgeable about cardiac arrest, only 24% would be able to define it accurately and just 11% would correctly distinguish cardiac arrest from a heart attack. Participation in first aid courses is still low: 74% of the sample has never attended one and 12% would not remember the information received in the courses they have taken. The remaining 14% has undergone specific training on the subject and remembers the content well. Twenty percent of the sample is familiar with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and knows how they work, while about 70% has only heard of them, and 5% does not know what they are.
Eighty-four percent of those who have never taken a course would be interested in participating in training, even if it is short, lasting 4-5 hours.
“These figures highlight the urgent need to raise awareness among citizens and to fully implement Italian Law 116/2021, which introduces targeted measures to respond more effectively in the event of cardiac arrest, such as compulsory first aid training in schools, and to increase the chances of survival,” said Andrea Scapigliati, president of the Italian Resuscitation Council (IRC), professor of anesthesia and resuscitation at the Catholic University, and head of the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit at the A. Gemelli IRCCS University Polyclinic Foundation, in a statement.
“First aid techniques,” continues Scapigliati, “should be taught in schools, passed on to young people and sports facility operators, integrated into driving license courses, and disseminated as widely as possible among the population. This is the aim of the agreement recently signed by the IRC with the National Union of Driving Schools and Automotive Consultancy Firms (UNASCA), which aims to promote the inclusion of first aid training in courses for future drivers. Another tool provided for by law, but still only adopted in some regions, is the national smartphone app that allows users to locate automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in the area, facilitating timely intervention.
Unfortunately, the use of defibrillators in Italy before the arrival of emergency services on individuals suffering from cardiac arrest outside of hospitals is still very low: 6.4 percent compared to an average of 20 percent in European countries.
Every year, in fact, many people around the world lose their lives to cardiac arrest, but more widespread knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) could prevent many deaths.
This is because, during the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, a certain amount of oxygen is still present in the victim’s blood and lungs, and external chest compressions started immediately can keep this oxygen circulating, preventing irreversible damage to organs, particularly the brain.
