India, April 25 -- Researchers have identified Australian regions with high rates of cardiac arrest and low rates of CPR, prompting calls for targeted education campaigns to improve awareness about avoiding and treating heart issues.

The Monash University-led project, funded by the Heart Foundation and conducted by the Australian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (Aus-ROC), identified Australian regions with high incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and low rates of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Cardiac arrest - when the heart stops beating - is not a heart attack. Heart attacks can cause cardiac arrest, but not all cardiac arrests are related to heart attacks.

Australia has about 26,000 out-of-hospital c...