In the new TV advert which airs on Irish screens this month (Jan 2012), tough man Jones urges untrained bystanders to give the kiss a miss during CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and concentrate on giving just chest compressions to the beat of Stayin’ Alive.
Ireland’s national charity fighting heart disease and stroke has welcomed the campaign created by their counterparts in the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to tackle the barriers to the public performing CPR in an emergency.

A poll by the BHF showed nearly half of people were put off helping because of a lack of knowledge about CPR and a fifth of respondents worried specifically about the thought of the kiss of life or catching an infectious disease. According to Irish Heart Foundation resuscitation expert Brigid Sinnott, the same barriers exist here.

She said: “Here in Ireland we know that as little as a third of cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR. Many people are afraid to give CPR in an emergency because of their lack of knowledge and many more are put off by the thought of having to give the kiss of life. The new British Heart Foundation advert has hit the nail on the head – regardless if you have been trained or not, if someone collapses unconscious in front of you, call 999 and start giving strong chest compressions to the beat of Stayin’ Alive to keep a good tempo. The reality is that about 60% of collapses occur in front of family or friends which is why we need to encourage everyone to give hands CPR a try.  It really can mean the difference between life and death.”

Every year in Ireland an estimated 5,000 people die suddenly from cardiac arrest when their hearts stop beating. Between 70 and 100 of these deaths occur in people under the age of 35. For every minute a person is collapsed without receiving CPR or defibrillation, their chance of survival decreases by between seven and 10 per cent per minute. After five minutes, their chance of survival may be reduced by as much as 50 per cent. But according to Ms Sinnott, with bystander CPR and the availability of a defibrillator within minutes, their chances can greatly improve.

The new TV advert, showing throughout January, will reveal a compassionate side to Vinnie Jones as he performs hands-only CPR to Stayin’ Alive in a deserted warehouse, flanked by two dancing henchmen.

Former Chelsea footballer Jones said: “There really shouldn’t be any messing about when it comes to CPR. If you’re worried about the kiss of life just forget it and push hard and fast in the centre of the chest to Stayin’ Alive. Hands-only CPR should give ‘have-a-go heroes’ the confidence to step in and help when somebody is in cardiac arrest.”

Chest compressions with rescue breaths will continue to be part of gold standard CPR and taught during formal training, including on the Irish Heart Foundation courses.

ENDS

Irish Heart Foundation media queries to:

Caroline Cullen, Communications Manager,
Direct line: 01-6346908 Mobile: 086-6049282 Main switch: 01-6685001

Ceri Teggin, Communications Assistant
Direct line: 01-6346917 Main Switch: 01-6685001 E: cteggin@irishheart.ie

British Heart Foundation media queries to:
BHF press office on 020 7554 0164 or 07764 290381 (out of hours)
or email newsdesk@bhf.org.uk