Conference offers insights to ‘Chain of Survival’

Conference offers insights to ‘Chain of Survival’

8 April 2016

For the next two days the New Zealand Resuscitation Council welcomes over 340 delegates to Guidelines 2016, its biennial conference being held in Auckland.

The conference follows the release of revised resuscitation guidelines in January. Dr Richard Aickin, Chair of the New Zealand Resuscitation Council, says that there is no change for most rescuers who are first to respond to a cardiac arrest. He says that good CPR and early defibrillation are key in a ‘chain of survival’ that sees resuscitation as system whereby all parts must be effective to increase the likelihood of a good outcome.

Keynote speakers are Dr David Zideman, Co-Chair of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation’s First Aid taskforce and Emergency Medical Clinical Lead for the 2012 London Olympics, and Dr Laurie Morrison, who has made extensive contributions to resuscitation science including evaluating and implementing pre-hospital and transport medicine systems. Aickin says both will offer valuable insights about strengthening components in the ‘chain of survival’ and that he is “honoured” New Zealand was hosting world-leading influencers in resuscitation. Delegates will also hear first hand the experiences of a family affected by a sudden cardiac arrest and the life-saving impact of an effective ‘chain of survival’ response.

Aickin says that the revised resuscitation guidelines contained some changes that were particular to advanced practice, and that the conference was an opportunity to address New Zealand health professionals about the latest evidence and thinking in resuscitation. “In this way we can improve the likelihood that our healthcare system is informed and prepared to deal with resuscitation emergencies”, said Aickin.

“The New Zealand Resuscitation Council sees a huge benefit for everyone to be able to provide the necessities of life until further help arrives – this is key to a robust chain of survival”, said Aickin.

“Wherever someone in New Zealand collapses, we need to get things right every step of the way to increase the person’s likelihood of a good outcome”, said Aickin.

For more about Guidelines 2016 see http://confer.co.nz/nzrc2016/.

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