Dr. David Barbic is co-author of a new study finding Vancouver neighbourhoods with a higher proportion of Chinese residents, such as Richmond or Chinatown, tend to have higher rates of bystander CPR. Receiving immediate CPR increases survival rates from cardiac arrest by 2-3 times. Increased rates of survival were also noted in Kitsilano, Strathcona and most of central Richmond. Co-author Dr. Jim Christenson notes, “This study is one piece in our understanding cardiac arrest. We have more than doubled the (overall) survival rate from 10 years ago to about 15 per cent and hope to continue to improve”.
This study is the first of its kind in Canada and was published in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine, Oct. 17, 2016.
Media reports:
CBC article
Vancouver Sun
Metro News
CBC Radio interview