INTRODUCTION

Cardiac arrest is a treatable medical event that requires immediate action to save a life. Cardiac arrest can strike indiscriminately and without warning, often leaving grieving family members and friends to question what could have been done differently. When the heart stops, the brain will begin to die within 4 minutes. An ambulance takes 10-15 minutes to reach the victim. If CPR were instituted early, even before the arrival of the ambulance, it could make a difference to the victim’s survival. As cardiac (heart) arrest could occur at home, in the office, on the treets, bystanders able to perform CPR becomes valuable for the victim.

Institut Jantung Negara (IJN), being the premier cardiac hospital, have taken the first step of public responsibility by offering Basic Life Support (BLS) training. Basic Life Support (BLS) is the foundation for saving lives after cardiac arrest. It is designed for healthcare professionals as well as public to provide emergency care to patients in a wide variety of settings, and teaches both single-rescuer and team basic life support skills for application in pre-hospital and in-facility settings.