Frequently Asked Questions

STEP 1: Identify if it actually is a cardiac arrest.
Tap on collapsed victim's both shoulders a few times and ask loudly if he is ok. If there is no response from the victim either by taps or sound, check for breathing by placing the palm of your hand over the abdomen for about 10 seconds. If you do not feel the abdomen rise up and down, the victim is not breathing for sure. Therefore, if there is no response and no breathing, it should be assumed that the victim has just suffered a cardiac arrest.

(NOTE: PERFORM THE NEXT 3 STEPS ONLY IF THE PERSON IS NOT RESPONSIVE OR NOT BREATHING.)

STEP 2: Once confirmed it is cardiac arrest, dial 108/call for a CARDIAC AMBULANCE and an AED (if nearby).

STEP 4: If an AED is available place its pads over the victim's body as indicated by the pads and follow its prompts.

Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) or Cardio-Cerebral Resuscitation (CCR), also known as heart massage or chest compressions, is an emergency procedure that focuses on chest compressions in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person who is in cardiac arrest.

The purpose of CPR is to keep oxygenated blood flowing around the body to keep the vital organs alive, especially the brain. CPR itself may not restart a victim's heart, it just keeps him alive until AED shocks are administered. An AED is a device that delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restart it.

When should I begin CPR and when should I stop it?
You should begin CPR only if:
The victim has collapsed either in the last few minutes or in front of you and if that victim is NOT breathing. Remember, CPR should NOT be performed on a person who is breathing.

An AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is a lightweight, battery-operated, sophisticated, portable yet easy-to-use, medical device that can analyze the heart's rhythm and, if necessary, deliver a measured electrical current to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.

AEDs are used to treat sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) and are made to be used by public in dire situations.

An AED is to be used ONLY on a collapsed person who's become un-responsive to either touch or sound; is showing no sign of a pulse and is not breathing, whereupon its safe to presume that the person has just suffered a cardiac arrest. Before using the AED, move him or her to a dry area if the area of collapse is wet, and stay away from wetness when delivering shocks.

Turn on the AED's power if its not auto-start. The device will give you step-by-step instructions.

Expose the person's chest. If the person's chest is wet, dry it (dry only the areas where the pads are to be attached, not the entire body). AEDs have sticky pads with sensors called electrodes. Apply the pads to the person's bare chest as pictured on the pads themselves by indicative red arrows.

If the person has a lot of chest hair, you may have to trim it with the pair of scissors usually provided in the AED box. (Move the AED pads at least 1 inch away from implanted devices or piercings so the current can flow freely between the pads.) Make sure no one is touching the victim when the shock is about to be delivered.

If a shock is required to be provided, the AED will let you know when to deliver it by flashing the indicative button. Push the AED's "shock" button for the actual shock to be provided. Start or resume CPR until emergency medical help arrives or until the person begins to breathe. Stay with the person until medical help arrives, and report all information you know about what has happened.

Yes. AEDs are specifically designed to be used by non-medical, untrained bystanders. However, it is preferable that they are operated by volunteers who have completed the CPR, AED training programme.

Some AEDs deliver a higher dose of electricity (360 joules-monophasic AED) while others deliver a lower maximum dose (150 or 200 joules-Biphasic AED).

DO NOT provide an actual electric shock from an electrical output/wire to the victim under any circumstances. The AED provides jolts that are calculative and measured.

The decision of how many shocks are needed to be administered is best left to an AED machine to decide. The automated machine examines the rhythm of the heart and decides accordingly whether a shock is required to be provided, of what measure and how many. Strictly follow AED prompts.

Yes. Until emergency service arrives. The attached AED prompts when it is safe to touch the victim and when CPR shoud continue and when it must stop (so another shock may be delivered).

No. The pads must be attached on dry, bare skin only and in the manner indicated in the picture on the pads or as the AED intructs.

AED machines are sold by various different brands and therefore come with different costs. You may do an internet search for manufacturers to buy from, in your city.

NOTE: Revive Heart Foundation (iCARE) DOES NOT SELL AEDs.

For all AED locations, kindly click on the option 'AED Locations' in the main website menu on top.

REMEMBER: In case of an emergency, please rush to the nearest location from the addresses provided and pick the AED without hesitation. In case a secuity guard inquires, quickly let him know where and why you are taking it or ask him to accompany you.

Yes, there is a difference. Heart attack and Cardiac arrest are not one and the same as is usually thought of generally. People often use these terms interchangeably, but they are not synonyms.

A heart attack occurs when a blocked artery prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching a section of the heart. If the blocked artery is not reopened quickly, the part of the heart normally nourished by that artery begins to die.

Sudden cardiac arrest occurs suddenly and often without warning. It is triggered by an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat. With its pumping action disrupted, the heart cannot pump blood to the brain, lungs and other organs. Seconds later, a person loses consciousness and has no pulse. Death occurs within minutes if the victim does not receive treatment.

Basic difference - In a Heart attack, the victim is still breathing but in a Cardiac arrest, the victim stops breathing.

What should I do when its a Heart Attack?

Call 108 (in India) or a Cardiac Ambulance immediately or rush the victim to the nearest hospital immediately.

What should I do when its Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

Sudden Cardiac arrest is reversible in most victims if it's treated within a few minutes. First, check if the victim is responsive and breathing. If not, call for a Cardiac Ambulance and an AED (if available nearby) and begin CCR immediately and continue until professional emergency medical services arrive. If two people are available to help, one should provide and continue with CCR on the victim while the other should call for a cardiac ambulance of the nearest hospital and find an AED. Administer the AED on the victim.

If the person is responsive in movement of any kind or is still breathing regularly, it is not a cardiac arrest. Nevertheless, either rush him to the hospital or call for an ambulance, make sure nobody is crowding the victim and monitor him until emergency services arrive.

The victim, regardless gender, must be treated with the same procedure for both CCR and AED. To attach AED pads, use a cloth if available for modesty to cover her chest area or use a pair of scissors (found in the AED box) to cut open the parts of the clothing where the pads need to be attached. Attach the pads on her dry, bare skin and perform procedure as required.

Ensure your safety first. Do not fall victim to circumstances yourself. Call for police and emergency if you cannot reach the victim yourself and then follow procedure.

Continue CCR until emergency services arrive. Keep monitoring the victim.

Yes, you are protected and respected by law if you, as a lay bystander, help a person in dire life or death situation at a private or a public place. Click the links below to read more on Good Samaritan Law.

Yes, absolutely. Chances of the victim going back into a cardiac arrest are a possibility. Be sure the victim is sent to the hospital for further care by medical professionals.

All Revive Heart Foundation (iCARE) workshops in the city of Mumbai are free of cost.

Please send an email on 'contact@saveheartsfoundation.org' with your details with the heading 'funding'. We will communicate back to you and let you know.

Please send an email on 'contact@saveheartsfoundation.org' with your details with the heading 'funding'. We will communicate back to you and let you know.