key: cord-1005649-8ymof6ai
authors: Semeraro, Federico; Ristagno, Giuseppe; Greif, Robert; Lockey, Andrew; Monsieurs, Koenraad G.; Nolan, Jerry P.; Olasveengen, Theresa M.; Perkins, Gavin D.; Scapigliati, Andrea; Böttiger, Bernd W.
title: Renewed KIDS SAVE LIVES campaign to further increase awareness and fight sudden cardiac death in the era of Covid-19
date: 2020-06-20
journal: Resuscitation
DOI: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2020.06.018
sha: 93c1f2e0ba09edc30d761b8165565efe75a48197
doc_id: 1005649
cord_uid: 8ymof6ai

nan

worldwide after sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The COVID-19 pandemic emerged in China at the end of 2019 and challenged most healthcare systems and societies worldwide. 3 Many countries reacted with various lockdown measures to limit the spread of infection and to reduce death rates. 4 Fortunately, children have not been severely affected compared with older people, but concern was expressed about their potential role in spreading infection, which resulted in a limitation of school activities. Thus, we have to consider that the impact of social distancing on teaching and the fear of interacting with a victim potentially infected with COVID-19 could severely reduce the willingness of children and teachers to teach and to provide CPR. While local school organisation can vary widely in term of spaces, timetables, web-based lessons and faceto-face activities, we acknowledge the urgent need for a refurbished KSL campaign, specifically addressing obstacles to bystander CPR provision during a pandemic. 5 Awareness of the importance of providing effective CPR in OHCA during the pandemic requires special activities and support to overcome these barriers. Focus should be brought on the role of the community in helping save lives, the risk-benefit balance for young rescuers with the chance of saving a life, the importance of personal protection against infection and of local measures for disease surveillance, e.g. through dedicated apps, contact tracing, testing, etc. As a specific campaign, the authors propose a renovated KSL logo for use during the COVID-19 pandemic and, in agreement with the European Resuscitation Council, calls the international community for specific initiatives to reinforce and adapt the KSL campaign to the current context. Far too many people are still dying following OHCA worldwide, and hundreds of thousands of deaths could be avoided.

All the communities must overcome the fear of COVID-19 to help KIDS to learn to save lives.

Council. GR is member of Science and Education Committee BLS of the European Resuscitation Council. RG is European Resuscitation Council Board Director Training and The "KIDS SAVE LIVES" Covid-19 logo has been developed by the Italian Resuscitation Council (IRC). We very much appreciate and acknowledge that the IRC is providing this logo for free to all participating in the "KIDS SAVE LIVES" campaign in Europe and all over the world (https://www.erc.edu/projects/kids-save-lives).

KIDS SAVE LIVES: ERC Position Statement on Schoolteachers' Education and Qualification in Resuscitation Resuscitation

on behalf of the European Resuscitation Council COVID-19 Guideline Writing Groups European Resuscitation Council COVID-19 Guidelines Executive Summary

Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China

World Health Organization declares global emergency: A review of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

COVID-19: long-term effects on the community response to cardiac arrest? Lancet Public Health