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The chain of survival outlines the critical steps in resuscitation that increase the likelihood of survival for people who experience out‐of‐hospital sudden cardiac arrest, including bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation as important components. Some authors suggest that focusing on the links at which most patients enter the chain would achieve the greatest improvements in outcomes.

Survivors of out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest often remark, “I was lucky,” especially when someone nearby noticed their collapse and performed CPR or defibrillation before emergency medical services personnel had arrived. In Australia, where most out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrests happen in private residences, this “luck” may simply be that the event was in a public location. But what if we could reduce the role of luck in survival? What if receiving bystander CPR was highly probable, regardless of where the out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest occurs?

This MJA Editorial shares more.

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Authors: Ashleigh Shipton, Meredith O'Connor, Melissa Wake, Sharon Goldfeld, Helen Lees, Catina Adams, Kristina Edvardsson, Leesa Hooker, Jatender Mohal, Rhiannon M Pilkington and Fiona K Mensah

Article Type: Editorial