What to Do in the First Minutes of a Cardiac Arrest

When the heart suddenly stops, every minute without help lowers the chance of survival. Yet in those first critical minutes, an ordinary person nearby — not a doctor — is usually the one who can make the difference. This is the heart of pre-hospital care, and it is exactly what SAVAN trains people to do. Here is the basic sequence a trained bystander follows when someone collapses and is unresponsive: Check for a response. Tap the person's shoulders and ask loudly if they are okay. Look to see whether they are breathing normally. Call for help immediately. Shout for someone nearby, and get emergency help on the way. Ask someone specific to make the call and to find the nearest Automated External Defibrillator (AED) if one is available. Start chest compressions. Place the heel of one hand in the centre of the chest, put your other hand on top, and push hard and fast — about two compressions every second — allowing the chest to rise fully between each push. Good compressions keep blood moving to the brain until the heart can be restarted. Use an AED as soon as one arrives. An AED is designed for untrained hands: switch it on and follow the spoken instructions exactly. It will tell you where to place the pads and whether a shock is needed. Used early, it dramatically improves the odds of survival. Keep going. Do not stop compressions until the person shows clear signs of life, an AED instructs you to pause, or trained help takes over. It sounds simple, and that is the point — these are skills anyone can learn. But doing them correctly, and with confidence, under pressure is what makes the difference between hesitation and a life saved. That confidence comes from practice: on a manikin, guided by trained instructors, until the actions become second nature. This article is a general overview, not a substitute for hands-on training. If you would like you or your team to be genuinely ready for an emergency, SAVAN runs two-day BLS and AED certification programmes covering exactly these skills and more. To arrange training, contact us at savanngo@yahoo.com or +234 806 300 0003. The next emergency will not wait for an expert to arrive. With the right training, the person who saves a life could be you.