The Philippine College of Emergency Medicine recently held an assembly to talk about the importance of a multi-level, multi-sectoral, multi-systems approach and follow the 10 steps recommended by the Global Resuscitation Alliance to improve outcomes from sudden cardiac arrests.
Emphasizing the burden of sudden cardiac arrest and the importance of providing immediate and quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the event was held last April 30 at the EDSA Shangri-La Manila.
Representatives from the PCEM led the meeting, including Dr. Martin Luna, PCEM President; Dr. Pauline Convocar of Corazon Locsin Memorial Medical Center in Bacolod City, PCEM Chair of Section on Advocacy; Dr. Faith Joan Gaerlan of the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City; and Dr. Bernadett Velasco of East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, PCEM Chair of Committee on EMS and Disaster Medicine, among others.
Joining the PCEM in spearheading the initiative is the Global Resuscitation Alliance, an international organization that pushes for wider implementation of policies and practices that will guide emergency medicine professionals, frontliners and even lay rescuers to ultimately benefit SCA patients.
Representatives from the City of Makati, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Department of Tourism were also present during the event to share SCA-related stories from their respective organizations and their commitments to the cause.
Guests from the International Federation of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Lee Wallis, and the American Heart Association, and Dr. Jose Maria Ferrer also attended and gave inputs.
SCA is a condition where the heart suddenly stops functioning, preventing blood from flowing to vital organs of the body. If not treated immediately, SCA can be fatal and chances of survival can be as little as two percent.
The most effective first-aid treatment for SCA is CPR partnered with an automatic external defibrillator. Most SCA cases happen out of the hospital, which means that patient survival can depend entirely on the knowledge of bystanders in performing CPR and using AEDs.
“Using AEDs and performing CPR on victims actually doubles their chances of survival,” said Dr. Convocar, adding that knowledge on both should be made accessible to the general public, not just medical professionals.
“Conducting CPR is very basic. It doesn’t need a machine, just the knowledge of how to do it properly,” said Dr. Gaerlan. “AEDs on the other hand are not widely available and making them accessible to more people should be one of our priorities.”
“Aside from knowing how to perform CPR and use AEDs, recognizing cardiac arrest is also critical. Increasing awareness about these is one of the reasons why we partake in these meaningful discussions,” said Dr. Velasco.
To show its support to the goals of PCEM and GRA, HealthSolutions Enterprises, Inc. (HealthSolutions) joined the event as one of the major organizers.
HealthSolutions is committed to improving the quality of life for SCA patients, through distribution of state-of-the-art medical equipment for treating SCA such as the AED Plus R and X Series by ZOLL.
The R Series is an AED that streamlines the defibrillation process through features that enable medical professionals to deliver high-quality CPR. The device is equipped with Real CPR Help® technology for accurate visual and audio feedback during treatment, as well as See-Thru CPR® which reduces the duration of pauses. The R Series can also be converted from an AED to a full-featured manual defibrillator for added flexibility.
The X Series is a lightweight and compact AED designed for portability without compromising performance and durability, delivering the same capabilities expected from a full-featured monitor.
Both the ZOLL R and X Series are now available in the Philippines and are exclusively distributed by HealthSolutions.
