Cardiac experts yesterday September 29 treated onlookers to what many term a one-time and vital experience on cardiac massage. The esplanade of the Yaounde City Council served as a demonstration site to the public on first aid therapy in case of cardiac problems. The exercise, which fell within the framework of activities marking the 11th edition of World Heart Week, was heavily attended and onlookers, especially the old, learnt much on the protection, control and management of heart-related diseases.
“It permits us to react when faced with a situation before calling for help from the health centre. The exercises we learnt will also enable us to revive near-dead victims, maintain and get them out of crisis”, Benjamin Amougou, audience, explained. Listening and calming the heart beat of victims was their preoccupation. While crowds gathered in the court yard to practise cardiac reanimation and massage, others listened keenly to sensitisation and educative lessons from experts who came in from Europe for the exercise in the City Council hall. The experts explained how near-dead victims can be observed and must be reanimated in time of any cardiac arrest. The President of the Cameroon Heart Foundation, Dr. Daniel Lemegoum, told participants at an international symposium on cardiovascular reanimation yesterday in Yaounde that the reflex is to start to push the thorax of a victim to make sure that he continues to breathe as part of reanimation. “The heavy compression of the thorax of a victim is indispensable when there is cardiac abnormality,” Dr. Daniel Lemegoum explained.
The crowd-pulling reanimation, massage exercise and symposium was not only for the public, but also brought together medical experts from within and without for knowledge sharing. “Another key message is to share with local health experts, tools to detect risk factors and start administering medication in cost-effective ways. The situation of cardiac arrest (clinical death), Dr. Daniel Lemegoum, who is a cardiologist, said is preoccupying in the country though figures are hard to come by.
