In 2024, Aicarm received a generous donation to support initiatives in the Milan area, with a focus on education and training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of the automated external defibrillator (AED).
The project, aimed at young people between 16 and 18 years old, was designed for high schools in Milan that will request it during the 2024/2025 school year. The courses are made possible thanks to a collaboration between Aicarm, the Auxologico Institute of Milan and Fapy srl.
The training is based on the ILCOR 2020 guidelines and includes two phases: a theoretical one, in which students learn how to recognize a cardiac arrest and the actions to take, and a practical one, which includes cardiac massage exercises on mannequins and the use of the defibrillator. At the end of the course, students receive a certificate of attendance useful for obtaining training credits.
The initiative aims to involve about 10 classes of 20-25 students each. Teachers, recognizing its educational and civic value, make available about three hours of the school program for this activity.
The project is part of Aicarm's mission, which aims to raise awareness of cardiomyopathies in the community, and complies with the current regulatory framework. Law 4 August 2021, n. 116, promotes the dissemination and use of AEDs in schools and universities, and allows the use of semi-automatic or automatic defibrillators not only for non-medical healthcare personnel, but also for non-healthcare people who have received specific training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques (BLSD). However, in emergency situations such as a suspected cardiac arrest, the use of the defibrillator is also permitted to those who do not have specific training. This exemption aims to ensure timely and life-saving interventions, broadening the possibilities for intervention as much as possible while waiting for the arrival of qualified help.
The Decree of 16 March 2023 also regulates the characteristics of AEDs and regulates their installation and reporting, contributing to building a widespread and effective cardioprotection network across the territory.
With this initiative, Aicarm not only strengthens its commitment to training and prevention, but also contributes concretely to making Milan schools safer places and ready to intervene in the event of cardiac emergencies.
