Healthcare professionals from Osakidetza, organized by the OSI Ezkerraldea-Enkarterri-Cruces, have taught citizens how to recognize cardiac arrest, perform CPR, and use defibrillators in Cruces and Balmaseda. These events were held to mark World Restart a Heart Day, offering practical workshops for the public.
In the square of Cruces University Hospital, professionals from Anesthesiology, ICU, Emergencies, and Pediatrics, along with staff from Emergentziak Osakidetza, under the slogan «Be Ready to Save a Life», conducted practical workshops. They explained how to recognize cardiac arrest, activate emergency services early, perform basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers, and use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Concurrently, professionals from the Balmaseda Health Center held practical workshops throughout the morning open to the public, bringing these skills closer to the local residents and reinforcing community training in an area where prompt action can be decisive.
The aim of both initiatives is to increase public knowledge and practice of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and improve citizens' response capacity to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Every year in Euskadi, over 600 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are registered by Emergentziak, and less than 40% of victims receive resuscitation maneuvers from bystanders before emergency services arrive.
The event focused on the first links of the chain of survival: recognizing cardiac arrest, quickly alerting 112, initiating chest compressions, and using a defibrillator when available. This practical training allows citizens to acquire basic skills that can make a difference while healthcare resources arrive.
Through this activity, the OSI Ezkerraldea-Enkarterri-Cruces reinforces its commitment to prevention, health promotion, and health education, bringing knowledge that can help save lives to the community.
