The Irish Heart Foundation has launched an innovative online campaign to teach the public how to save a life with CPR.

The Irish Heart Foundation would like you to meet Manny Quinn, a former CPR training manikin who has been in storage since the start of the pandemic.

Today (Friday October 16^th) is world Restart a Heart Day and to mark the occasion Manny has finally achieved his dream of becoming a Broadway singer and is using his talents to help the Irish Heart Foundation create a quirky online video which teaches the simple rules of CPR.

While the majority CPR classes for the public have been cancelled due to Covid, Manny has stepped into the breach by performing a song in the style of a Broadway musical that emphasises the two essential CPR steps anyone can perform to save a life.

If you witness a cardiac arrest there are two key steps you can take. Step one is to call 112 or 999 and the second step is to push hard and fast on the centre of the chest.

While the video for the new CPR campaign has an element of fun, its central message is very serious explains Brigid Sinnott, Resuscitation Manager at the Irish Heart Foundation.

“Thousands of people die every year in Ireland from cardiac arrest and approximately 70 per cent of those happen at home in front of a loved one,” she said.

“If someone who knows CPR can start performing compressions quickly they can double or even triple a person’s chances of survival.

“In 2018, 176 people survived a cardiac arrest because of the actions of somebody who started CPR. If an extra 100,000 people learn CPR, we could potentially save an extra 60 lives a year on average.

“However, a person’s chances of survival drop by 10 per cent for every minute that passes without somebody performing CPR or using a defibrillator on them. That’s why at the Irish Heart Foundation we want to create a nation of lifesavers by training as many people as possible in CPR,” she said.

“Last year, we launched a free community Hands for Life training programme in CPR which was very successful, but with the pandemic we need to innovate to spread our message. Because of Covid we have had to stop running CPR classes, so instead we are urging people to watch Manny Quinn’s video message to understand what to do when faced with a cardiac emergency.

“The more people who know what to do in a case of cardiac arrest, the more likely a person who has a cardiac arrest will have of receiving this simple life saving treatment. It is really important for people to realise that they don’t have to be a trained doctor or medical professional to perform CPR – anybody can do it.

“An important first step is to call 112 or 999 because the emergency services will talk you through each step of CPR and stay on the phone with you until emergency services arrive on the scene,” Brigid added.

The Irish Heart Foundation’s new CPR campaign is supported by Abbott and ESB Networks.

“At Abbott, we work to keep hearts healthy with our life-changing technologies and through partnerships with the Irish Heart Foundation and our local communities, said Conor Murphy, Site Director, Abbott.

“We know CPR saves lives, and by engaging with this online video people across Ireland can be equipped with the practical knowledge they need to step in and save a life in the most serious of situations.”

Paul Mulvaney, Executive Director of ESB Networks said the company is proud to partner with and support the Irish Heart Foundation on this exciting new awareness campaign.

“ESB Networks plays a fundamental role in every community across Ireland and by supporting the work of the Irish Heart Foundation, we’re empowering the people in these communities to be part of a nation of life-savers” said Paul.

“We encourage everyone to watch this video to equip themselves with the knowledge of what to do if a family member or friend falls into cardiac arrest. Even if you have learned CPR in the past it is a good reminder of the simple life-saving steps for this life-saving procedure.”