The heart of Ticino beats strongly: a model of prevention and solidarity which also involves IBSA

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide lose their lives to sudden cardiac arrest. In Switzerland, about 8,000 cases are recorded, and only a small percentage survive without long-term damage.

In Canton Ticino, however, coordinated efforts in prevention are yielding concrete results: thanks to a widespread network of defibrillators and specific training throughout the region, the survival rate now reaches 55% in cases of ventricular fibrillation (VF/VT), one of the highest in the world¹.

An achievement that is the result of the work of local institutions and Fondazione Ticino Cuore, an organisation that has been active since 2005 in promoting first aid CPR techniques and in raising public awareness.

Alessandro Del Bufalo, President of Ticino Cuore, comments, "Both the number of defibrillators in the area and the number of volunteers available to respond to cardiac arrests reported by the emergency services have increased. The number of members of the First Responders network increased from 5,636 in 2023 to 6,847 in 2024. Since the beginning of our activity, we have trained almost 170,000 citizens of the Ticino region." 

Behind figures, there are faces, stories, and actions that remind us how much heart disease prevention—beyond its purely medical aspect—is first and foremost a matter of people. People who know how to act, people who are helped, and people who choose every day to educate themselves so they can make the difference.

AT IBSA, A STORY OF COURAGE THAT SETS AN EXAMPLE

It is precisely this culture of readiness and solidarity that underpins what happened at IBSA, where the quick thinking and clarity of mind of an employee made it possible to save a life. The episode dates to 18 April 2024, in the secondary packaging department at the Lugano facility.

That day, Gianni Rigato, Packaging Operator, was standing next to Sandro Gaudenzi, a technician from an external company who was carrying out an inspection, when he noticed that something was wrong. "I was in the production line next to the one where Sandro was. I saw him shaking, then he suddenly fell to the ground with a thud. I quickly realised what was happening and rushed over to him. I asked my colleagues to call 144 and immediately started CPR. It was thanks to my previous experience and training that I was able to handle the situation calmly," says Gianni Rigato.

That quick and precise intervention has been decisive. The immediate action preceded the arrival of the internal first aid team and the police, allowing Sandro Gaudenzi to avoid any consequences.

To acknowledge and value the commitment of those who have been able to act promptly and competently, every two years the Fondazione Ticino Cuore celebrates these stories through the ‘I Cavalieri del Cuore’ Award. On 28 October, Gianni Rigato stepped onto the stage of the Convention Centre Palazzo dei Congressi in Lugano, alongside three other stories with happy endings, to receive an award for his quick thinking and cool head.

Symbolically, he also carried an important message: behind every award there is a network of well trained and self-aware people who, in a very short time, can make the difference between life and death.

PREVENTION AS SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

For years, IBSA has been promoting workplace safety through staff training, aware that the culture of prevention can and must involve everyone – people, institutions and companies.

Bringing all these levers together means strengthening a chain of solidarity which, at IBSA, has been shaped by a colleague’s face and the renewed heartbeat of a friend.

1 Source: https://www.ticinocuore.ch/chi-siamo