Esposito (Cri volunteer): “My grandfather still alive thanks to life-saving maneuvers”

Every year in Italy there are 60 thousand cases of cardio-circulatory arrest. An alarm heard by the Red Cross that tomorrow will deploy more than 700 volunteers from 180 Committees throughout the Italian territory working in the shopping centers of 19 Regions of Italy to teach how to apply heart massage, to musical rhythm, on thousands of mannequins lying on the ground to raise awareness of the importance of life-saving maneuvers. “Thanks to my experience in the Red Cross I saved my grandfather’s life”. This was the case with Adnkronos Pierpaolo Esposito of the Operational Unit for the development of health and socio-health activities of the Italian Red Cross. “During my daughter’s baptism, my grandfather felt ill and lost consciousness, but remained seated in the chair. My grandmother – she says – immediately thought that he had fallen asleep and prepared a glass of water for him. I understood the gravity of the situation because he was no longer breathing and his heart had stopped. He was in the throes of cardio-circulatory arrest. I laid him on the ground and applied the Bls cardiac massage, not having other instruments to use such as the defibrillator. Thanks to that massage, my grandfather started breathing again and smiled at me. ” “I have been a volunteer of the Italian Red Cross since I was 15. There are many times – he continues – in which I also told my grandfather that I found myself making interventions of this type, but I never expected to have to do it to him too. . When he felt ill, we called the ambulance, which would never arrive before 15 minutes. Instead, in these situations, the faster you are and know the right techniques, the more you have the chance to save lives. “. That’s why “it is important for everyone to take a Blsd course, which helps not only to learn the technique of massage but also to use the defibrillator. Tomorrow is world cardiac arrest awareness day – he stresses – we must continue to promote these courses but also to promote the purchase of defibrillators in crowded places such as squares, schools or sports facilities “. “The Red Cross organizes these courses every day. If I hadn’t known how to apply the Bls massage – concludes the volunteer – my grandfather would not be alive today. In Italy we have 60 thousand cases of cardio-circulatory arrest a year and this is why it is important do training courses that make a difference “.