If you can defibrillate someone within a minute of them collapsing, there’s a 90 percent chance they’ll survive. Delay by more than 10 minutes, and the chance they will live is less than 5 percent. The defibrillator will analyse the casualties heart rhythm and decide whether or not to administer a shock, minimising user error and responsibility.
Richard Crowther, First Aid Cornwall
If there were more public access defibrillators, more people could get a life-saving shock as quickly as possible, ahead of an ambulance, which would assist in giving them the best possible chance of survival.
Do you know where your closest defibrillator is right now? If someone collapsed before your eyes, could you get to it in a minute? Would you know what to do with it once you’d found it?
Cardiac arrest is about the most shocking medical emergency we can come across. We’re weirdly used to seeing sudden death delivered by a bullet on a screen, but totally unfamiliar with someone’s heart going awry – even though we’re way more likely to die this way.
Just knowing what a cardiac arrest is will make you more confident and useful if it happens to someone near you. Knowing what to do will make saving their life a real possibility.
The lowdown on cardiac arrest and defibrillation:
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About 60,000 people who are not in hospital have a cardiac arrest every year in the UK. Only 8% survive.
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12 young people die every week from sudden cardiac death (SCD)
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Ambulance teams resuscitate 3,600+ people who have had a cardiac arrest every year in the South West
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For every minute defibrillation is delayed, chances of survival decrease by 7 – 10%
Five Facts to Save Your Life: Defibrillators & Cardiac Arrest
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Heart attack and cardiac arrest are not the same things. A heart attack happens when the blood flow to your heart is blocked and can go on for hours, days or even weeks. Cardiac arrest is sudden. It’s an electrical malfunction that disrupts your heartbeat without any warning.
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Cardiac arrest will kill you in minutes. An irregular heartbeat stops blood getting to your brain, lungs and the rest of your body. Seconds later you’ll lose consciousness and unless you are defibrillated you’re likely to die within minutes.
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You don’t have to be old to have a cardiac arrest. In 2017 an emergency defibrillator at the Lifeboat Inn in St Ives was used to save an 8-year-old girl who collapsed whilst on a family holiday. The defib was paid for by the Ronnie Richards Memorial Charity, set up by Paul Williams in memory of his brother-in-law, Ronnie, who collapsed and died while playing football in Penzance. He said: “I am delighted that the defibrillator was able to help save a person so young, who now has her life to look forward to.”
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If someone is unconscious, unresponsive and not breathing or breathing abnormally, they could be in cardiac arrest. Act fast:
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Call 999 on any phone, you don’t need a password. Tell them it’s an emergency, that someone is in cardiac arrest and ask them, where’s the nearest defibrillator?
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Start CPR. Don’t stop to get the defib if you’re alone, call for help. Everyone should know how to perform CPR. You could watch a video like this one, but nothing beats hands-on-training.
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Send someone to get a defibrillator
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Defibrillators are easy and safe to use. Don’t hesitate. The device will tell you what to do and guide you through the whole process. You don’t need training but you’ll be a lot more confident if you’ve at least watched a video. Again, we can’t emphasise enough how important practical training is. You might be able to do this through your work, but if not we offer Basic Life Support classes to individuals who want to be able to help their family and friends out of danger, and be more confident to take a lead if they stumble upon a medical emergency.
In a nutshell
Cardiac arrest is a formidable enemy. It comes out of nowhere and kills fast. Your best friend when cardiac arrest happens is the defibrillator. That and the calm confidence that comes from knowing what to do.
Start noticing defibs when you’re out and about. Watch the video above so you know how they work.
Think about learning some CPR through work, or as a personal skill. Heck, organise a team of friends and make a day of it!
Stay safe and look after each other.
Team FAC x
