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Watch: How to help someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest

The importance of learning how to help someone when their heart has stopped is being explained in a video made by West Midlands Ambulance Service.

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Of the 30,000 people estimated to have cardiac arrests each year outside of hospital, almost 4,000 of those occur in the West Midlands region.

Currently only one in three of these people will receive CPR from a bystander before the ambulance crew arrives, and for every minute basic life support is not offered the patient's chances of survival reduce by 10 per cent.

Head of clinical practice Matt Ward said: "When a cardiac arrest occurs the heart stops beating effectively. Whilst the heart is not beating toxins build up in the body and brain. You have approximately eight to 10 minutes before this brain damage become irreversible."

"Approximately 7 per cent of people who suffer cardiac arrests survive. By providing CPR immediately this number can be significantly improved but we can only do this with help from the public."

Mr Ward added: "Don't be scared to start chest compressions. Many people worry and ask if they could hurt the patient, but in cardiac arrest the patient only has one other option and that is death."

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