Bystanders carrying out lifesaving CPR up 25% in 10 years

Eva Osborne

Bystander CPR in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest increased by 25 per cent between 2012 and 2023, a HSE National Ambulance Service report has shown.

Bystander CPR happens when someone who has witnessed or comes across a cardiac arrest steps in to provide CPR.

Overall, in 2023 there were 2,857 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests where resuscitation continued after the arrival of the emergency medical services.

Chair of the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Register (OHCAR) and clinical director of emergency and acute care at Cork University Hospital, Professor Conor Deasy, said it is "great" to see the increase in bystander intervention.

"In line with previous years, surviving patients were more likely to be younger and have been witnessed to collapse in a public urban location," he said.

"Knowing what to do; ring 999/112, put your phone on a speaker while speaking to the 999 call taker and start chest compressions.

“Members of the public defibrillated 304 patients, of whom 89 survived (29 per cent). This achievement emphasises the importance of Community First Responders and Public Access Defibrillators in saving lives.”

Of the 2,857 patients who had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest last year, 66 per cent were male.

The median age of patients was 68 years, but patients ranged in age from less than one year old to over 100 years old.