In the lead up to National Life Saving Day 2021, Singapore Heart Foundation has launched the first-of-its-kind in Singapore female CPR manikin vest to increase awareness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation on women.
The customised vest is a training aid that is designed to fit most manikins in the market. It will be used in the Singapore Heart Foundation’s CPR+AED (Automated External Defibrillator) training programmes. Around accredited CPR+AED training centres will receive the new female CPR manikin vest.
Cardiac Arrests in Women
Each year, around 3,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in Singapore. About one-third of these causalities are women. In such situations, Every minute is critical in such situations.
However, according to the 2020 “Knowledge, Attitude and Practice survey on CPR+AED” commissioned by SHF and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), 6% out of 1,003 respondents quoted the fear of being accused of molest as a deterrent to performing CPR on a stranger. This is also coupled with the fear of inflicting injury on female cardiac arrest casualties.
This has led the Singapore Heart Foundation to look for ways to instill the right mindset and techniques in effectively administering CPR+AED on women to help prevent death due to cardiac arrest.
Singapore Heart Foundation’s Female CPR Manikin Vest
The customised female manikin vest will help to educate community first-responders on how to effectively administer CPR and where to place the AED pads on women.
In addition, in conjunction with National Life Saving Day 2021, the Singapore Heart Foundation will be conducting a webinar for CPR+AED instructors where the most recent statistics and key findings on out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Singapore. The webinar will also include a panel discussion on legal issues and the Good Samaritan initiative pertaining to performing CPR+AED on female casualties.
