We met Mickaël Francke, a professional firefighter in Pas de Calais for over 10 years and a First Aid trainer, who loved Cardio First Angel. Mickaël mainly trains companies in PSC1 (Prévention et secours civique de niveau 1) and SST (Sauveteur Secouriste au Travail). Of course, he and his brigade are also on the scene of disasters. We were lucky enough to be able to interview him:

What stands out for you about the training?

On a positive note, more and more people are being trained in first aid. Young people are also made aware of these issues at school. Unfortunately, that’s not enough.

First aid training is there to raise awareness and teach people how to react in a panic situation. These courses include highly technical techniques such as cardiac massage, which require regular and frequent training. This is not the case due to lack of time and financial resources.

Who can be trained?

Everyone should be trained to react in emergency situations. This also applies to children, from a very early age, because very young children are sponges and memorize everything.

Is cardiac massage still essential, even with a defibrillator?

Many people mistakenly believe that a defibrillator is all they need in the event of cardiac arrest. The defibrillator is the instrument for restarting the heart. Nevertheless, cardiac massage is just as important, and should be performed as soon as it is detected, to ensure that the victim’s organs are supplied with blood, and to avoid/reduce lasting damage while waiting for help or an AED. In any case, the AED will ask you to do this.

What should you do if you are the only witness or if there is no defibrillator nearby?

First, call 112, where professionals will guide you. If it’s cardiac arrest, start massaging and don’t stop until a defibrillator or paramedics arrive. If there are other people with you, take it in turns to massage, as it’s very tiring: each pressure must have a force of 40kg. I once massaged a cardiac arrest victim on my own for 30 minutes – I couldn’t feel my hands! The victim was resuscitated by the emergency services, without any after-effects.

What if there’s a defibrillator nearby?

First, always call 112. Secondly, massage remains the priority gesture. Third, defibrillate. If you are alone, wait for another witness before fetching the defibrillator. Never stop massaging except when the defibrillator delivers a shock.

Is there a difference between male and female cardiac massage?

The gesture remains the same. On the other hand, women are unfortunately less likely to receive cardiac massage from a bystander. Witnesses are reluctant to cut off the bra and massage directly into the skin. The Cardio First Angel can undoubtedly help overcome this reluctance, as there is no hand contact with the body during the massage. It’s worth noting that men are more prone to cardiac arrest, with 2 men for every 1 woman.

What did you like about Cardio First Angel?

Several aspects of the product interested me:

• No direct contact between the victim and the person performing the massage. This is less impressive and can make the decision to have a massage even easier, especially during this COVID period.
• Good pressure surface for massage and foam reduces the risk of rib fractures.
• Knowing that the massage is done at the right pressure. Even when trained to perform a real cardiac massage, we’re never sure we’re applying the right pressure, and what’s more, it’s tiring.
• The “click-clac” makes it easy to find the right rhythm, and the feedback system is clear, so there’s no need to concentrate on the pressure to be applied.
• The Cardio First Angel lets you see how much pressure you need to exert for a good massage. Massaging a mannequin is very different from massaging a human!
• 100% mechanical, no extra maintenance or service required. Very easy to use, always ready.

Everyone should have one, just like a smoke detector!