The sad reality is that women who have suffered cardiac arrest are less likely than men to be resuscitated by bystanders and are therefore more likely to die.
While researchers believe this is because people are less likely to recognize the symptoms of cardiac arrest in women (which may differ from those in men), one campaign points to another possible reason for the difference in survival rates: breasts — or lack thereof — on CPR mannequins.
WoManikin is a new invention from the US that attaches to a CPR mannequin and promises to “reinvent the way we teach lifesaving techniques”. The device turns a flat-chested mannequin into a chested mannequin, allowing people to practice CPR on different bodies.
WoManikin is the brainchild of advertising agency JOAN in partnership with women’s equality organization Women for America. It is hoped that WoManikin will be available in all CPR training facilities in the United States by the end of 2020, ultimately reducing the number of cardiac arrest deaths in women.
JOAN co-founder and chief creative officer Jaime Robinson told Campaign Live: “CPR dummies are designed to look like human bodies, but in reality they represent less than half of our society. The lack of female bodies in CPR training means women are more likely to witness the death of a cardiac arrest.
“We hope that WoManikin can bridge the education gap and ultimately save many lives.”
A study published last month in the European Heart Journal found that men and women are not treated equally when they suffer a heart attack, whether at home or in public. Women tend to stay in hospital longer before help arrives, which impacts their survival.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) says 68,000 women in the UK are admitted to hospital with a heart attack each year, an average of 186 a day or eight an hour.
Dr Hanno Than, a cardiologist at the University of Amsterdam, said heart attack symptoms in women include fatigue, fainting, vomiting and pain in the neck or jaw, while men are more likely to report classic symptoms such as chest pain.
Andrew New, head of education and training at St John Ambulance, told HuffPost UK: “First aid training is vital to give people the confidence to step up in times of crisis. Basic CPR is important for all adults, regardless of gender or size, but the key is to act quickly – every second counts.”
There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, of which fewer than one in 10 survive. “The survival rate can increase by 70 per cent if you get help within the first five minutes, and that’s when CPR comes in,” New said.
“If research shows that women are less likely to receive CPR from bystanders, then we need to do everything we can to improve this, reassure people and reduce the uncertainty around women performing CPR – it would be great to see a wider diversification of training offerings.”
Post time: Dec-16-2024