MOST cardiac arrests happen in the home, said a Ministry of Health officer, who added that having a family member trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can boost the chances of survival for a victim.

Hj Mohd Sani Tamit, Head Officer of Nursing at National Resuscitation Centre, Human Resources Development, under the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in an interview with The Brunei Times, "Although we do not narrow the courses down to a target audience, I would say that it is an objective to make this the norm by having at least one family member trained in CPR. It would definitely make a difference."

He emphasised that having this basic life support skill is vital towards saving lives . "Obviously not everyone can do first aid. The more efficient process would be picking a few candidates for the training depending on the amount of people they are around with in either their workplace or homes," he said, adding that the courses have been mostly conducted in banks and government agencies.

"We do actually open up invitations to the general public who wish to take the course provided we are not booked beforehand. As of now, the course is free so I would suggest anyone to take part in it because there's no telling that one day it could be charged for."

"It also takes about 16 to 20 participants for us to run the courses. Hence, I would ask for participants to call on their friends and family. The CPR course only takes a day session," he said.

"We are also trying to get into the schools more. The idea is to train and equip the people to the point that they can sustain themselves and also teach others." He then elaborated on the current structure of CPR protocol. "Anyone who has done first aid would be familiar with the DRABC (Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Compression) steps; but in 2010 the American Heart Association (AHA) decided to revise it to DRCAB (Danger, Response, Compression, Airway, Breathing). Therefore, a course conducted now and renewed certifications would be under the new protocol," he said.

When asked on the reason, Hj Mohd Sani is of the opinion that the "airway" step took away precious time. "The 'airway' step can be a long process and during an emergency, the longer the person is not breathing, then the slimmer the chance of surviving," he said.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), about 92 per cent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital but with immediate CPR delivery, the chances of survival can double or even triple. The Brunei Times