A Public Display of Hands

On December 7, 2015, more than 1,200 people marched through the streets of downtown San Diego to show their support for a subject very dear to their hearts: improving SCA survival.

The “CPR Saves Lives March” was organized by the Citizen CPR Foundation in conjunction with the Emergency Cardiovascular Care Update (ECCU) 2015 conference. Faculty members, resuscitation experts and healthcare providers joined SCA survivors on the march.

“Survival rates from cardiac arrest are not low because of the lack of effective treatment,” said Tom P. Aufderheide, MD, president of Citizen CPR Foundation (CCPRF) and faculty member of the Medical College of Wisconsin. “Early 9-1-1, CPR and AED use, consistently provided throughout our communities, would vastly improve survival, but these simple and lifesaving actions are only as good as our communities’ implementation and comprehensive action to provide them.”

The February issue of EMS World Magazine features several articles on cardiac care, including a report from ECCU. For more on the “CPR Saves Lives March,” including an aerial video of the event, see EMSWorld.com/12146469.