A new study from Denmark shows an increase in the number of people who survive cardiac arrest when the nation encouraged bystanders to step in and perform CPR.  After analyzing data from over 19,000 people who went into cardiac arrest someplace other than a hospital between June 2001 and December 2010, researchers found that the proportion of cardiac arrest patients who got to the hospital alive and survived over the next year increased.  The fact is, at the beginning of the study, only about 21 percent of patients had a bystander step in to perform CPR during their cardiac arrest.  Yet, by the end of the study in 2010, that number had more than doubled to 45 percent (“More people”)!  The country took numerous steps to increase the number of people performing CPR, including mandatory training for elementary school students and people getting driver’s licenses.  While the researchers can’t say that the national initiatives directly caused the increase in participation or survival, this and other efforts have certainly aided in the positive results acknowledged from the study.  “Nevertheless, the results of this study indicate that the increased rate of bystander CPR was an important factor in improving survival,” said Dr. Mads Wissenberg, the study’s lead author from Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte.  Dr. Graham Nichol, professor of medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, said implementing a national program like Denmark’s is novel, compared with implementing smaller regional programs.  “It’s something needed in the U.S. (“More people”)” To read the article, click here.