Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death

The Hungarian National Heart Foundation (HNHF) plays a leading role among civil society organisations fighting against sudden cardiac death. Since 2003, HNHF has supplied health providers, mainly general practitioners, with life-saving defibrillator equipment in

an unprecedented number through its "Every minute counts" programme. It is also a leader in providing such life-saving devices for public areas.

Unfortunately, its programme has lost momentum during the past year or two. This might be attributed to the recent economic slowdown; nevertheless, there is clear need to establish a complex programme of life-saving devices and resuscitation training. Hungary has among the worst data on cardiovascular mortality in the European Union. The death toll is particularly high among males under 65 years of age, with a mortality rate that is more than three times higher compared with neighbouring Austria. A major contributor to this excessive death rate is sudden cardiac death. Experts say that according to a modest estimate some 1500 to 2000 lives could be saved annually with a network of publicly available automated external defibrillators.



The European Parliament's Resolution on Action to tackle cardiovascular diseases, adopted in July by an overwhelming majority, may strengthen the HNHF's voice for a complex resuscitation network in Hungary. The Foundation hopes politicians at the national level will all see the resolution as a clear path towards an effective reduction in the burden of CVD. HNHF especially echoes the call of the European Parliament to "encourage the equipping of large public spaces, such as railway and metro stations, airports and stadiums, with pre-hospital system care such as early defibrillation for victims of cardiac arrest (cardiac fibrillation)".

HNHF estimates that deploying some 15-20 defibrillators in the capital and some 3-5 in the largest cities at the main transportation hubs as a first step would yield noticeable results. The Foundation intends to focus not only on the equipment, but on training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as well. It approached the government to include the training of CPR in the basic national curriculum. The Foundation is offering a set of 200 demonstration defibrillators and training manikins to launch a resuscitation training programme in high schools. It is expected that a high number of trained citizens would further enhance the demand for appropriate life-saving equipment.

© MNSZA
2007-11-22 | Refreshed: 2009-11-11 12:13