People who have been trained in CPR are 10 times more likely to attempt it in the event of an emergency compared to those who have not been trained, the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has said.

According to the foundation's CEO, Barry Dempsey, untrained people are sometimes afraid that they will cause harm if they attempt CPR, however starting it ‘won't cause harm but it can double a person's chance of survival by maintaining blood flow to the brain'.

CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is a first aid technique which should be administered as soon as possible to a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest (their heart has stopped beating). The first few minutes after a cardiac arrest are vital - if the pumping activity of the heart is not restored within a couple of minutes, the brain suffers irreversible damage.

Mr Dempsey made his comments ahead of the IHF's Happy Hearts appeal, which takes place on May 15-17. This year, funds raised by the event will be used to invest in compression-only CPR awareness and education for the country.

Every day in Ireland, 13 people of all ages die as a result of sudden cardiac arrest. Two-thirds of cardiac arrests occur in the home and half of these occur when someone else is present.

This year's Happy Hearts Appeal is aiming to raise €500,000. Happy Heart badges will be on sale on streets and in SuperValu stores for €2.

Previously in Ireland, a person's chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was less than 1%. This figure has risen to just over 5% and the IHF is aiming to double this to 10%.

The event is being supported by 16-year-old Ryan Callan, who recently collapsed during a PE class in his school, Our Lady's School, in Castleblayney in Monaghan. His PE teacher, Enda Tourish, immediately started administering CPR, saving the teenager's life.

While Ryan's family were told to prepare for the worst as he needed to be put into an induced coma, he has since made a full recovery.

For more information on the Happy Hearts event, click here