Survival rates for women suffering cardiac arrests could improve as new female manikins are introduced to CPR training sessions across Yorkshire to overcome public hesitation.
Women suffering from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest will have a better chance of receiving lifesaving treatment as female manikins are introduced to CPR training sessions.
Public hesitation is currently costing lives across the region. Research indicates that a third of the British public are afraid to perform chest compressions on a woman because they are worried about touching breasts. Furthermore, thirty-eight per cent of Britons report feeling uncomfortable using a defibrillator on a female casualty. This hesitation stems from the need to place the life-saving pads on bare skin in the chest area, which requires the removal of a woman’s bra.
To close this gender gap in cardiac arrest survival rates, the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Charity has funded new female manikins. The initiative aims to increase awareness, remove the stigma, and ensure people feel comfortable acting in the vital first moments of a medical emergency.
Head of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Charity, Carey Taylor, said:
"It’s a very sad fact that women are less likely to receive bystander CPR and defibrillation than men. By funding the provision of female manikins during training sessions, the YAS Charity aims to change perceptions and give people the reassurance to know that acting fast is the right thing to do to save a life regardless of gender."
Over 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital in the UK every year, and currently, less than nine per cent survive. However, immediate intervention drastically changes these odds. Latest figures demonstrate that a cardiac arrest patient in Yorkshire is nearly twice as likely to survive if a bystander steps in to perform CPR.
The new female manikins were first put into action during Restart a Heart Day. More than eight hundred off-duty staff and volunteers visited over one hundred and sixty secondary schools across the region, training thirty-five thousand students in CPR. Moving forward, the equipment will be further utilised by community engagement teams and volunteers delivering thousands of sessions to people of all ages.
Community Engagement Officer Sasha Bipin explained the real-world impact of the new training tools:
"In my work with a range of diverse groups, including some that are predominantly male, I am often asked whether performing CPR on a woman differs from performing CPR on a man. Participants frequently raise concerns about maintaining a casualty’s dignity when carrying out chest compressions or using a defibrillator, with some worried that they could get into trouble for assisting a female.
Similar questions have also been raised in groups made up mainly of women, particularly around whether CPR can be performed effectively on a female casualty. Having a female manikin helps to address these concerns, build confidence and ensure participants feel better prepared to provide lifesaving support to anyone who needs it."
The difference made by confident bystanders is stark. Last year, public interventions in 1,972 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests across the region successfully contributed to restarting 643 hearts at the scene, resulting in 132 long-term survivors. In contrast, out of 892 cardiac arrests where no bystander provided CPR, only 33 people survived past thirty days after leaving the hospital.
The ambulance service is inviting everyone to learn the life-saving skill, with training videos available through the CPR training resources on the Restart a Heart website.
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