O-Ringen Magazine, nr 1 2024
The worlds biggest orienteering adventure. Oskarshamn, Smålandskusten, July 21st to 27 th 2024.
The worlds biggest orienteering adventure. Oskarshamn, Smålandskusten, July 21st to 27 th 2024.
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Learn to save lives!<br />
Read and learn more<br />
What to do if you suspect cardiac arrest<br />
Sudden cardiac arrest is a life-threatening condition where<br />
the heart, for whatever reason, stops beating. It’s more<br />
common than you might realise. Many people believe it only<br />
affects the elderly, which isn’t true. Sudden cardiac arrest<br />
can affect people of all ages.<br />
Every day, around 16 Swedes suffer cardiac arrest outside of<br />
hospital, requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Only<br />
two of these survive. Not everyone can be saved but, with the right<br />
knowledge and equipment in place, many more could be.<br />
The most important thing is for CPR to start immediately and<br />
that a defibrillator is available and ready to use. The chances of<br />
survival decrease by 10% with every passing minute, so there really<br />
is no time to lose.<br />
When someone phones 112 to report a cardiac arrest, SOS<br />
Alarm are alerted – as well as the emergency services, up to 30<br />
citizen responders will receive information by text about where the<br />
nearest defibrillator is.<br />
It is also very important that defibrillators are registered (www.<br />
hjartstartarregistret.se) and ideally, are available to use all the<br />
time. It’s great that there are so many defibrillators but they need<br />
to be available, not behind locked doors. In Sweden, only 20% of<br />
Stefan Jutterdal survived a cardiac arrest himself and is now an ambassador for Hjärtuppropet. Photo: Hjärtuppropet.se<br />
defibrillators are available all the time. In Denmark it’s 70% and the<br />
chances of survival there are significantly higher.<br />
What can we do to make our society safer for hearts?<br />
Ahead of this summer’s O-<strong>Ringen</strong> on the Småland Coast, we<br />
are taking the initiative to work towards a safer place for hearts,<br />
working alongside Hjärtuppropet, Kalmar region and the Swedish<br />
Heart and Lung Association in Oskarshamn.<br />
The message is that more lives could be saved if everyone learns<br />
how to do CPR and there are enough defibrillators available. So,<br />
everyone who has a defibrillator is urged to make sure it’s registered<br />
and, if possible, place it in a heated box outside. This would help<br />
make Kalmar region a safer place for hearts. The initiative has been<br />
well received and so far nine defibrillators have been moved outside,<br />
making them available at all hours.<br />
The housing association Byggebo AB, Döderhult parish, IK Oskarshamn<br />
and Oskarshamn District Council have all led by example<br />
and hopefully the number of defibrillators available all the time will<br />
increase over the spring.<br />
Residents are also encouraged to attend a CPR course. A good<br />
start is the Swedish Heart and Lung Association’s new online course<br />
at hlr.nu/allakanhlr/, which takes only 15 minutes.<br />
Defibrillator register<br />
hjartstartarregister.se<br />
Find your nearest defibrillator<br />
“allakanHLR” (everyone can do CPR)<br />
hlr.nu/allakanhlr<br />
The Swedish Heart and Lung<br />
Association’s new online course,<br />
which takes only 15 minutes<br />
How to perform CPR on adults<br />
hlr.nu/sa-har-gor-du-vuxen-hlr/<br />
CPR advice in Swedish<br />
What is his advice on how we can improve cardiac safety?<br />
– Everyone should know how to do CPR. It’s just as important as<br />
being able to swim. Learn CPR and become a citizen responder.<br />
We also need more defibrillators to be available. Go to hjartstartarregistret.se<br />
to see where your nearest defibrillator is!<br />
You can help to save lives!!<br />
Anders Strömbäck is the project manager for O-<strong>Ringen</strong> <strong>2024</strong>. He is<br />
working to make sure all control guards out in the terrain have had<br />
CPR training, which means 400-500 volunteer officials will have<br />
attended CPR courses this spring in<br />
preparation for O-<strong>Ringen</strong>.<br />
– There will be over 20 defibrillators<br />
available during O-<strong>Ringen</strong> week, so<br />
we’re doing what we can to ensure<br />
a safe environment for hearts, says<br />
Anders Strömbäck.<br />
Stefan Jutterdal with a defibrillator Photo: hjartuppropet.se<br />
1. Check consciousness<br />
Take hold of the person’s shoulders, shake gently and<br />
try to wake them. Shout “Hello, are you awake?” If<br />
there is no response, check breathing.<br />
2. Check breathing<br />
Check if the person is breathing normally. Open their<br />
airway by putting one hand on their forehead, tilting<br />
their head backwards and lifting their chin with the<br />
other hand, with two fingers under the chin. Put your<br />
ear to the person’s nose and mouth, listen for breathing<br />
and check if their chest is rising and falling. If<br />
the person has abnormal breathing or isn’t breathing<br />
at all (or if you’re not sure), assume it’s a cardiac<br />
arrest..<br />
3. Phone 112<br />
If the person is unconscious and not breathing normally/at<br />
all, alert 112 using speakerphone. The operator will<br />
help you perform CPR. Start with 30 chest compressions,<br />
followed by two breaths.<br />
4. Perform chest compressions<br />
Place the heel of your hand in the middle of the chest<br />
and put your other hand over it. Interlace your fingers.<br />
With straight arms, push down at least 5 cm on the<br />
chest, but not more than 6 cm. Repeat 30 times at a<br />
rate of 100-120 compressions per minute.<br />
5. Give breaths<br />
Open the airway: lift the chin and tilt the head back.<br />
Put one hand on the forehead, tilt the head back and<br />
lift the chin with the first two fingers of the other hand.<br />
Pinch the person’s nose, open your mouth wide so you<br />
take the whole of their mouth in yours and blow in<br />
air until their chest rises. Perform two breaths. If you<br />
cannot or don’t want to do this, it’s better to perform<br />
only chest compressions than to do nothing. Chest<br />
compressions alone can be very effective, especially<br />
during the first minutes..<br />
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5<br />
Continue these steps until the emergency services arrive<br />
and take over, or the person is breathing normally.<br />
Minimise any breaks in CPR.<br />
7. Fetch a defibrillator<br />
If there are several responders working together, one<br />
should begin CPR and another should phone 112 and<br />
then fetch the nearest defibrillator. Connect it and follow<br />
the spoken instructions. You can find your nearest<br />
defibrillator at hjartstartarregistret.se<br />
64 O-RINGEN MAGAZINE NO. 1 • <strong>2024</strong> O-RINGEN MAGAZINE NO. 1 • <strong>2024</strong> 65