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The chain of survival is a concept that illustrates a first aider's role in life support and the steps taken in sudden cardiac arrest cases. The chain of survival comprises four levels:
Call emergency services as soon as possible upon discovering a non-breathing person. Initiating CPR is crucial, but ensuring emergency services are on their way is vital.
First aiders must deliver effective CPR, ensuring that when emergency services arrive, they have a viable patient to treat. Without CPR, the remaining links in the chain may be ineffective.
If you have AED (automatic external defibrillator) training, you may be involved in the third link. AEDs can be found in workplaces, with paramedics or community responders, or within communities. AEDs interrupt abnormal heart twitching, potentially resetting the heart to a normal rhythm.
Emergency services provide advanced care, which may include AED, drugs, oxygen, or other treatments. This level of care goes beyond first aid. As first aiders, you primarily address the first two links, while emergency services handle the latter two, unless you have access to an AED.
If any link in the chain of survival is broken, the patient's chance of survival drastically decreases. For every minute of delay between sudden cardiac arrest and AED arrival, survival chances drop by 10%. If an ambulance arrives within the target time of eight minutes, the patient's survival chance is about 20%. Ensuring all links in the chain of survival are followed improves the patient's chance of survival.
