ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��

Sophie gives resuscitation lessons on high schools in Utrecht, by doing this she hopes to make this young group of students aware of what you can do in case of a cardiac arrest. While drinking a good cup of coffee, she tells me these lessons might save lives, and should therefore also be added to the curriculum in her opinion.

Why already teach children in high school what to do in case of cardiac arrest?

“Well, to start with, starting earlier automatically means that more people who know about it. A lot of cardiac arrests happen in or around home, so the chance to encounter such a situation is really quite big. There are 300 cardiac arrests outside of the hospital every week, however at this moment only 125 of these 300 are resuscitated. Recognizing a cardiac arrest is a big aspect that might be able to bridge this gap. Our main goal is awareness and that these children feel like they’re able to help in such situations.”

Our drinks arrive, she asks for sugar. Do you feel like they understand everything you tell them?

“Yes, way better than grown-ups, children pick up things easier. However, we mainly focus on what to do, which is actually not that hard to understand. Additionally, we give another lesson a year later, repetition is important.”

There are 300 cardiac arrests outside of the hospital every week, however at this moment only 125 of these 300 are resuscitated.

Are you in favour of adding resuscitation lessons to the high school curriculum?

“Yes, people are always saying why do we learn math in high school but not how to deal with more common things in life, like cleaning and tax. I think resuscitation belongs there as well, just 2 hours a year can make a difference. We know success stories about how students of us were present in a resuscitation situation. Hearing this is rewarding, even if it is just 1 in 3000. For that one person, it really makes a difference.”

The sugar still hasn’t been brought to our table.

“It’s a bad habit of mine”, she says, “learned at a young age, habits are hard to loose, so let’s make a habit of knowing what to do when someone has a cardiac arrest as well.”