CPR Training with a Bra: “Small Design Choices Can Mean Life or Death for Women”

Women are lesslikely than men to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early use ofa defibrillator in the event of cardiac arrest. To mark International Women’sDay on 8 March, Laerdal wants to highlight how more realistic and inclusivetraining can help reduce this disparity.

New guidelinesfrom the European Resuscitation Council and the American Heart Associationstate that defibrillator pads should be placed on bare skin. Nevertheless, experience from training courses shows that uncertaintyaround clothing, bras, and correct pad placement can lead to hesitation.

When these issuesare addressed in training situations, for example by using manikins wearingbras, important conversations are opened that help people feel more confidentabout acting quickly when it matters.

“When women areless likely to receive life‑saving help, it is a clear sign that both thehealthcare system and society have a responsibility to improve. More realistictraining is not about details for their own sake, but about reducinguncertainty and ensuring that everyone receives equally fast and correct help –regardless of gender,” says Mette Alhaug, Senior Product Manager at LaerdalMedical.

Research fromDuke University School of Medicine, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, shows a clear andconsistent pattern: women are less likely than men to receive life‑saving CPRand early defibrillation if they collapse in public.

The 2024 study isbased on analyses of more than 309,000 cases of cardiac arrest in the UnitedStates between 2013 and 2019. It shows that women have a 14 percent lowerchance of receiving bystander CPR.

Laerdalemphasizes that inclusive design and gender balance are long‑term commitments,both in how products are developed and in how the organization works withdiversity and leadership globally.