INDORE: A study conducted by the MGM Medical College on awareness level of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among bus drivers shows that 60% of the targeted population witnessed people collapse yet none of them were able to perform the procedure due to lack of awareness.
The study on 100 bus drivers revealed that of those who witnessed people collapsing, 47 called for help or ambulance and 13 did nothing at the beginning, The study was conducted by five PG students of the college. It also involved teaching them skills and assessing changes, MGM Medical College head of community medicine department Dr Salil Sakalle said.
It was observed that 26% of the bus drivers knew about CPR at the beginning of the study. The awareness rose to 98% after six months since most of them gave correct response to the procedure, ranging from knowledge, position of victim, chest region, side of chest and depth of chest compression. They were ready to perform the procedure, Sakalle said.
CPR involves chest compressions for adults between 5cm and 6cm deep and at a rate of at least 100 to 120 per minute. The rescuer may also provide artificial ventilation by either exhaling air into the subject's mouth or nose (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation) or using a device that pushes air into the subject’s lungs.
CPR alone is unlikely to restart the heart. The main purpose is to restore partial flow of oxygenated blood to the brain and heart. If there is return of spontaneous circulation, all organs can be considered for organ donation. The team also recommended training drivers for increasing awareness on CPR by pasting pamphlets describing procedure, installing television facilities detailing about it and informing them about mobile applications that can come in handy, Sakalle said.
