South west residents are in safe hands if they have the misfortune to go into cardiac arrest.
Victoria is the safest state when it comes cardiac arrest survival rate, at 44.4 per cent.
Worldwide, this rate is second-only to Denmark at 50.2 per cent.
This data has been revealed in Ambulance Victoria’s Cardiac Arrest Registry.
Ambulance Victoria has actively being training members of the public in cardiac arrest response, with more than than 29,000 people taking part in the Call, Push, Shock program.
Greater access to defibrillators has also helped the survival rate, with 10,800 active and registered defibrillators in Victoria, with more than 8,000 of those publicly accessible.
Ambulance Victoria director research and evaluation, Dr Ziad Nehme, said the increased survival rate reflects the impact of Ambulance Victoria’s targeted cardiac arrest awareness and skill-building across Victorian communities.
“Our Heart Safe Communities initiative, in partnership with the Heart Foundation, continues to expand, delivering life-saving skills and resources to communities across the state, such as dozens of new publicly accessible automated external defibrillators,” Dr Nehme said.
