An advertising campaign that informed people about the early warning signs of cardiac arrest has saved some 1300 Victorian lives, a study has found.
The campaign, run by the Heart Foundation between 2009 and 2013, covered a few different approaches to spreading the message about the importance of acting on the early warning signs of cardiac arrest but perhaps the most remembered was the hard-hitting TV ad that would have filled most Australian homes in 2011.
Brightly lit TV screens flicked to grey while a man in his mid-40’s told the story about how he died from his heart attack, retracing his steps as he experienced each seemingly innocuous symptom – an aching jaw, a shortness of breath, a tightness in his chest – that could have saved his life had he not ignored them.
“I wish I could have my heart attack again” is the title of the advertisement.
Paramedic and Clinical Researcher at Ambulance Victoria Ziad Nehme who headed a study that examined the impact of the public health message on cardiac arrest outcomes told the limbic that the campaign prevented one in six deaths from cardiac arrest across Victoria.
Mr Nehme said the study showed that the campaign was powerful enough to influence people’s behaviour around taking action – and taking it quickly – when they first develop symptoms of cardiac arrest.
“The biggest barrier to accessing care or accessing care quickly is getting patients to respond to their early symptoms in a reasonable amount of time.