Finnish man highlights importance of bystander CPR after cardiac arrest at wedding

In August 2018, Juha-Pekka Kallio from Pori experienced a life-threatening incident while delivering a speech at his daughter’s wedding. Halfway through, he suddenly lost consciousness and fell from the stage. Kallio’s heart had stopped due to ventricular fibrillation, and unfortunately, there was no defibrillator available at the venue. Luckily, some guests were trained in CPR, leading to rapid emergency response. An ambulance was called, and bystanders continued CPR for about twenty minutes until paramedics arrived. Kallio’s heart was eventually restored to a normal rhythm using a defibrillator.

This incident highlights the critical importance of bystander CPR, as well as the need for better CPR training among the Finnish public. According to the Heart Association, only 47% of Finns would receive bystander CPR in a cardiac arrest situation, which is below the European average of 58%. Standard CPR may not always suffice; most cases require electrical shocks from a defibrillator to restart the heart.

As part of World Restart a Heart Day on October 16, attention is drawn to the significance of CPR skills. The public can check the location of nearby defibrillators through an open-access registry, which has seen a rapid increase in registered devices. Last year alone saw over 1,800 new defibrillators registered, and this summer, the total surpassed 10,000.

Kallio, who survived his cardiac arrest six years ago, welcomes the growing presence of defibrillators in Finland and encourages others to learn CPR, stating, “Everyone should be brave enough to step in and perform CPR if necessary.”