Emergency life support or ELS is the set of actions needed to keep someone
alive until professional help arrives. They include performing CPR
(cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and helping someone that may be having a
heart attack. The skills are simple to learn and can save lives.
If you witness and recognise a heart attack you can prevent a cardiac arrest
by calling 999 immediately. A cardiac arrest is when the heart stops pumping
and if you witness this you can increase the chances of survival by calling
999 and providing early CPR.
A cardiac arrest victim who receives CPR in an out-of-hospital situation has
a better chance of surviving. CPR buys time and more than doubles the
chances of survival.
You can help save lives by getting trained and using ELS skills.