New Zealand Resuscitation Council

New Zealand Resuscitation Council Setting the standard for resuscitation and first aid in New Zealand.

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Today we're sharing our 10th myth for Restart a Heart Day. The myth: Doing 'cough CPR' can save you if you have a cardia...
10/10/2026

Today we're sharing our 10th myth for Restart a Heart Day. The myth: Doing 'cough CPR' can save you if you have a cardiac arrest while driving alone. The reality: This is a viral social media myth. Sudden cardiac arrest causes loss of consciousness within seconds, making it impossible to deliberately cough.

Are there any myths you've heard about CPR, AEDs, or cardiac arrest? Let us know!

You might assume that women and men both receive CPR equally. This is not true, studies show that women receive bystande...
09/10/2026

You might assume that women and men both receive CPR equally. This is not true, studies show that women receive bystander CPR less often in public due to fears around removing clothing or inappropriate contact.

Overcoming this hesitation saves lives.

Check out our profile to see the truth about many common myths around cardiac arrest, CPR, and AEDs.

Myth #8: Older adults shouldn't receive CPR because their bodies are unable to handle it. The reality: Age alone is nev...
08/10/2026

Myth #8: Older adults shouldn't receive CPR because their bodies are unable to handle it. The reality: Age alone is never a reason to withhold CPR. Immediate CPR gives older adults their best chance of brain function recovery and survival.

Many people think that if you perform CPR really well on someone in cardiac arrest, they won't need to be shocked with a...
07/10/2026

Many people think that if you perform CPR really well on someone in cardiac arrest, they won't need to be shocked with an AED. The truth is, while CPR will keep blood and oxygen moving around the body, only an AED can restart the heart.

This is why knowing how to recognise a cardiac arrest and use an AED is so important.

Our next AED myth: You have to be a trained medic to use a public access AED. The reality: Anyone can use a public acces...
06/10/2026

Our next AED myth: You have to be a trained medic to use a public access AED. The reality: Anyone can use a public access AED, they are fully automated with clear voice prompts to tell you what to do.

Another AED myth we commonly see is that you need to take off all jewellery from a person before you stick on the AED pa...
05/10/2026

Another AED myth we commonly see is that you need to take off all jewellery from a person before you stick on the AED pads. In cardiac arrest, every second counts. Don't waste time removing jewellery, you can simply shift it out of the way while you attach the pads to the chest.

Our next few myths are about AEDs. Some people worry that if they use an AED on a person who doesn't need it, they'll sh...
04/10/2026

Our next few myths are about AEDs. Some people worry that if they use an AED on a person who doesn't need it, they'll shock them.
This is not true, AEDs auto-analyse the heart rhythm and will only deliver a shock if someone is in cardiac arrest and has a shockable rhythm.

They way AEDs are designed means that you can't deliver a shock to someone unless they need it to save their life.

Myth #3: People sit up and start talking immediately after receiving CPR or a shock from an AED. While this is often sh...
03/10/2026

Myth #3: People sit up and start talking immediately after receiving CPR or a shock from an AED. While this is often shown in movies and TV, it's very rare for someone in cardiac arrest to wake up straight after CPR or a shock. CPR keeps blood moving until advanced responders arrive and can take over.

Myth #2: Young people don't have cardiac arrests. The reality: Sudden Cardiac Arrest can happen to anyone, regardless o...
02/10/2026

Myth #2: Young people don't have cardiac arrests. The reality: Sudden Cardiac Arrest can happen to anyone, regardless of age or fitness level. They are often caused by undetected genetic conditions like Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome or Brugada syndrome.

We'll be sharing more myths around cardiac arrest, CPR, and AEDs this month for Restart a Heart Day. Stay tuned!

This month we'll be sharing some myths around cardiac arrest, CPR, and AEDs for Restart a Heart Day.Our first myth: hear...
02/10/2026

This month we'll be sharing some myths around cardiac arrest, CPR, and AEDs for Restart a Heart Day.

Our first myth: heart attack and cardiac arrest are the same thing. This is not true, a heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, causing symptoms like chest pain. A cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops pumping, which causes immediate collapse.

Did you know the difference between the two? Keep your eyes peeled this month as we share more myths!

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