Cardiac arrest: What to do immediately if someone collapses

A new study published in the European Heart Journal suggests that immediate CPR and defibrillation can significantly improve survival rates for people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital.

The study found that survival rates were highest when bystanders performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator (AED) within the first three minutes of collapse.

While this news is important for the general public, it may also be relevant to seafarers who work on ships equipped with AEDs and may need to perform CPR in an emergency situation.