TORONTO, On – Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital found that a bystander who attempts cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can quadruple the survival rate to over 50 per cent. But Dr. Laurie Morrison and the research team at Rescu (www.rescu.ca) have found only 30 per cent of bystanders in Toronto are willing to help, one of the lowest rates of bystanders helping others in the developed world.

"Over the last four years, we have been working hard with paramedics and firefighters in Southern Ontario to increase the survival rate of people who experience cardiac arrest outside of the hospital," says Dr. Morrison. "Since 2004, our efforts have managed to triple the survival rate in the Toronto area but it is still less than 10 per cent."

Compared to other cities during the same time frame, Toronto has much lower rates of bystander CPR and survival. The research team wants to encourage all Canadians to learn the basics of CPR. Home is one of the most common places for cardiac arrests so learning CPR could mean saving a family member's life.

"Even if you perform hands-only CPR, and focus on compressing the chest, you can give a victim of cardiac arrest as much as a 1 in 2 chance of surviving," says Dr. Marco Di Buono, Director of Research at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, "on the contrary, doing nothing virtually guarantees the victim will not survive at all."

Even with a 911 dispatcher talking them through the process, many bystanders do not feel comfortable doing CPR or using an AED; however, minimal training is required and people can learn CPR or how to use an AED in an emergency by listening to the dispatcher's coaching until paramedics and fire fighters arrive.

Under Ontario's Good Samaritan Act of 2001, bystanders who assist others with good intentions are not liable, explains Rescue One's Mark Dewdney.
"Once you're trained, your comfort level goes up - and so does your automatic response. You know what to do, and through our training, the right actions become a near-automatic response - and the Good Samaritan Act ensures you can't be sued later."