“The number-one predictor of survival of cardiac arrest during a race was whether a runner had access to bystander CPR,’’ said study leader Dr. Aaron Baggish, associate director of the cardiovascular performance program at Mass. General. Teaching basic chest compressions to marathon participants and race observers - a form of CPR than doesn’t involve mouth-to-mouth resuscitation - might lead to fewer deaths in the future, he added.
Bob Pohl’s life was saved by a bystander who performed CPR last October after he collapsed in full cardiac arrest about 200 feet from the finish line of the Baltimore half-marathon. “I was very fortunate,’’ said the 55-year-old from Marriottsville, Md., a longtime runner who had no previous heart problems. “If I had the attack at home, I probably would have died.’’
A Boston marathoner’s heart stopped a few years ago while he was passing through Kenmore Square, but he also survived after a bystander gave him CPR. Hoping that this year’s runners will be as lucky if they collapse, the Boston Athletic Association, which organizes the marathon, will offer free CPR training for participants and family members at the Boston Marathon Expo held the weekend before the April race.
While the marathon has 28 medical stations along the 26.2-mile course, roving volunteers every half-mile with portable defibrillators, and two medical tents at the finish line, runners trained in CPR can help “bridge the gap between racers and various trained medical professionals,’’ said Thomas Grilk, executive director of the BAA.
The study highlighted the importance of speed in starting CPR, which was performed on survivors within an average of 90 seconds of their collapsing, compared with more than five minutes for those who died despite attempts to revive them.
