AHA signs deal to open CPR training facility in China
The American Heart Association (AHA) and the China Social Assistance Foundation announced Oct. 13 that they would open a training center in China focused on bystander response to cardiac arrest.
At the center in Beijing, first responders and the general public will receive training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), first aid and automated external defibrillator use.
Approximately 230 million people in China have cardiovascular disease, according to an AHA news release. In addition, 544,000 people die from cardiac arrest in China each year. The survival rate from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is less than 1 percent in China, compared with 12 percent in the U.S. If bystanders provide immediate CPR, the chance of survival can double or triple, according to the AHA.
“The AHA international training center will be the hub of an in-depth cooperation between China and international organizations in health science and technology to collaborate together to find ways in reducing the danger and burden of cardiovascular disease in China,” Jin Xiaoming, head of Ministry of Science and Technology of China, said in a news release.
This is the latest AHA initiative in China. In June 2015, the AHA and the People’s Republic of China Ministry of Science and Technology signed a formal memorandum of understanding to advance CPR training and cardiovascular science sharing in China. And this past June, the AHA and the Chinese Society of Cardiology signed a memorandum of understanding on a three-year agreement to improve the care for patients in China who have an MI.