Red Cross promotes three-step response to cardiac arrest

Austria’s Red Cross is highlighting the simple first-aid formula “Check, call, press” for World First Aid Day on Saturday, ORF reported. The organisation says the three steps can save a life in an emergency.

During cardiac arrest, permanent brain damage can occur after just two to three minutes without oxygen. The chance of survival falls by about 10 percent for every minute that passes, said Petra Pöllinger of the Red Cross in Styria.

“The only thing you can do wrong is nothing,” Pöllinger said. The formula means checking the person’s breathing, calling the emergency number 144 and, if the person is not breathing normally, starting chest compressions and resuscitation.

First-aid courses cover more than resuscitation. They also address allergic reactions, heart attacks, strokes and injuries, including how to treat minor wounds with a plaster dressing.

About 45,000 people in Styria attended nearly 3,300 first-aid courses last year. The courses are offered at Red Cross centres, while trainers also visit companies.

Most emergencies occur in people’s immediate surroundings, such as among family members, friends or work colleagues. Pöllinger recommends refreshing first-aid training every four years.