In the joint fight against sudden cardiac death

For more than 20 years, the Medical University of Vienna has offered the elective "Learning by Teaching Life-Saving Immediate Measures", which is run in collaboration with the Viennese association PULS. Students are not only trained as first aiders in case of cardiac arrest, but also teach the Viennese population basic resuscitation afterwards. In Vienna, there is a sophisticated system for the treatment of sudden cardiac death, which consists of the cooperation of lay first responders, professional first responders, the Vienna Professional Rescue Service and the Vienna hospitals. If a cardiac arrest occurs, the fastest possible help is life-saving, because for every minute without cardiac massage, the chance of survival drops by about 10 percent. If a cardiac problem is also the cause of the situation, a shock using a defibrillator is often necessary. "A "defi" is now brought to the emergency scene in Vienna in a variety of ways to bridge the time until the rescue arrives. A public "defibrillator network", which also includes converted telephone boxes, is part of the system, as is the police, who carry defibrillators in their patrol cars.