Hospital da Luz and SL Benfica carried out, on September 28th, the eve of World Heart Day, an unusual awareness-raising action , which included the participation of António Silva (SL Benfica player), DJ Kamala, of Tocá Rufar and… of the thousands of fans present at Estádio da Luz. The date was not chosen at random: a year ago, on September 29, 2023, an SL Benfica fan suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest outside Estádio da Luz. Thanks to the quick intervention of a fan who knew what should be done in these situations and, soon after, the emergency services present at the scene, the fan was quickly treated and resuscitated. However, this was not an isolated case. It was just one of the rare occasions in which a football fan who suffered a heart attack, in or around a stadium, was successfully rescued. Over the years, there have been countless records of similar incidents, with less happy endings. Sudden death is an unexpected event, constituting one of the main causes of death worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, around 20,000 people a day around the world are victims of sudden death. “Every 90 seconds a cardiorespiratory arrest occurs. It could be right next to you!” says Paulo Fonseca, from Hospital da Luz. The nurse, with extensive experience in emergencies, INEM trainer and BLS-DAE trainer, explains: “Basic Life Support (BLS) is essential to maintain the vital functions of a person in cardiorespiratory arrest, through simple maneuvers such as compressions chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth ventilation, or just continuous chest compressions until differentiated help arrives. Early intervention can significantly increase the chances of survival and prevent neurological damage , since in BLS what we gain is time”. And he concludes: “The right for me to be revived involves my duty to know how to revive others!” According to representatives of the civic movement “Salvar Mais Vidas”, in Portugal, less than 3% of people who suffer heart attacks on the street have a chance of surviving - a percentage well below the European average, which is 30%. The cause for this low response capacity, according to research carried out by CINTESIS*, is that more than 80% of Brazilians know “little or nothing” about Basic Life Support - that is, about how to go about helping a victim of cardiorespiratory arrest. It was with the aim of sharing the correct information, teaching the basic gestures that save lives, that Hospital da Luz and SL Benfica joined forces , transforming the half-time of the SL Benfica x Gil Vicente FC game into a giant Basic Life Support class. It all happened during halftime of SL Benfica x Gil Vicente FC, with a video starring the “Eagles” star, António Silva, shown on the stadium’s big screens. In the video, the central defender and SL Benfica international A showed how a cardiorespiratory massage is performed and then challenged the club's approximately 59,000 fans at the Stadium to sing the “Song of the Heart” to the rhythm of their heartbeats. The chant that echoed throughout the stadium is a new version of the iconic “Eu Amo o Benfica”, which was adapted by DJ Kamala and accelerated to 120 bpms - the ideal maximum rate for cardiac resuscitation. When this new version of the song started playing in the stadium, Tocá Rufar entered the pitch, giving rhythm and strength to the voices of the thousands of fans present. It was a unique and exciting experience, in which the public had the opportunity to learn the basic gestures of Basic Life Support and, at the same time, celebrate sport and life with the music from the hearts of all Benfica fans. The entire action was supported and certified by healthcare professionals at Hospital da Luz. In case of emergency: Call 911 and answer all the questions they ask you. With your arms straight, perform quick and strong compressions, at least 5 to 6 cm deep in the center of the chest, in the rhythm of the Heart Song (100 to 120 Compressions per minute) If you have access to an automatic external defibrillator (AED), use it safely; To do this, simply follow all the instructions given by the equipment.
