One Canadian has a heart attack every nine minutes: report

 

An estimated 60,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in Canada each year. Only 10 percent of these people survive, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation's 'Every Second Counts' report. The report calls for more awareness, education and more action on heart failure.

The report released a shocking revelation that 60,000 people suffer cardiac arrest every nine minutes in Canada. This points to the importance of people understanding what heart failure is. Even more important is knowing how to respond to cardiac arrest.

According to the report, only four percent of Canadians can recognize when someone is in cardiac arrest. It drives people to their deaths. Brain damage can also occur.

In Canada, the majority of heart attacks occur in people under the age of 65. But not only the elderly but also the young are prone to heart failure.

It should be understood that cardiac arrest is not the same as heart attack. Heart failure is the inability to pump blood throughout the body. The best way to save someone in cardiac arrest is to give them CPR or give them an automated external defibrillator (AED). Rapid CPR helps pump blood to keep the brain and other vital organs alive, the report said.