Last Tuesday, 14th November, 80 residents attended an event in the Mearns Academy Campus Theatre to promote the benefits of CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) and the use of defibrillator machines.
In Scotland only about 5% of victims survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. In the Scottish Borders the survival figure was 4% but after 10,000 residents had received CPR training the impressive impact has led to a dramatic improvement to 29%!
Dr Leona Houston, who delivered the talk and demonstration, has a special interest in emergency medicine and in particular in teaching techniques to a wider public as a volunteer. She believes that everyone over the age of 8 can learn to carry out CPR and make a real difference.
The Laurencekirk Patient Participation Group assisted by promoting the event with posters and a leaflet drop in local villages.
Would you like to save a life? You can enrol, either as individuals or as a club or group, in a free training session by emailing laurencekirk.administrator@nhs.net.
Do it now before it is too late.
