«Heartsafe Davos» in collaboration with the Emergency Medical Services in Davos. HeartSafe Davos aims at reducing the occurrence of sudden cardiac death through heightened awareness, preventive education opportunities and support for AED acquisition and use. Sudden cardiac death is recognized as one of the most frequent causes of death in Switzerland.

The partners, Hospital Davos (Emergency Medical Services) and Primedic set the goal to train as many interested community members, including lay persons, to use AEDs in Davos and the surrounding areas. «Because when each minute counts every citizen becomes a life saver», says project director Steffen Bohn.

Facts about Sudden Cardiac Death

• Around 10,000 deaths occur annually and 27 people die each day!
• 80% of deaths are attributable to ventricular fibrillation
• Each minute without help reduces the chance of survival by 10%
• A defibrillation within 5 minutes of the incident saves lives
• Average arrival time for rescue response teams is 10-15 minutes

Stimulating Awareness

With this initiative, Davos completes its medical and emergency services, achieving a high standard in medical care. The goal is that Davos, as internationally renowned conference, sport and cultural destination, provides the best possible emergency care, while also assuming an important leadership role in Heart Safety across Switzerland.

The initiative «HeartSafe Davos» will create an area-wide network equipped with Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) and train interested citizens in the theory and practice of AED use as rescuers.

Therefore, the health and safety needs of those visiting and living in Davos are met at the highest level through evidence-based, contemporary emergency medicine.

Area-Wide AED Network

Leading representatives of political and medical institutions and organizations focus on establishing an area-wide AED network in Davos to provide for and guarantee broad but immediate access and use of AEDs.

The location of the AEDs in sports arenas, public places and authorities, hotels and airports may save thousands of lives every year if support is provided using an AED (after the appropriate training) within 5 minutes of the incident.

Conclusion: Mortality from sudden cardiac death in Davos can be prevented through timely intervention.

«Heart Safety» at Davos

The idea for Heartsafe Davos was developed at a continued education session on «Heart Attack and Sudden Cardiac Death»: held at the 2006 WEF in Davos. Physicians, emergency medical service staff and industry representatives discussed provisions for the improvement of primary care for patients suffering from sudden cardiac complications using lay persons. This gave birth to the Initiative «Heartsafe Davos».

With this initiative Davos completes its medical and emergency services, achieving a high standard in medical care. The goal is that Davos, as internationally renowned conference, sport and cultural destination, provides the best possible emergency care, while also assuming an important leadership role in «Heart Safety» across Switzerland.

The project team worked on the project according to a set of defined objectives over the course of 6 months before it was publicized on October 3rd, 2006.