Improving Survival Rates:
It is a well accepted fact that only 10% of people experiencing an out of hospital Cardiac Arrest survive without the use of a defibrillator, the use of which can increase their chances of survival 5 fold. Obviously, the more Public Access Defibrillators that are installed in the Community the more chance of survival, but there are many other factors that contribute to that survival, especially in these days when most Ambulance Trusts are struggling to meet response times due to Covid-19.
1) Defibrillators placed in external cabinets available to the public 24/7 are more likely to save the lives of the general public than those stored indoors and only available during opening hours.
2) Ensure that your defibrillator is registered as `available` to be activated in the event of an emergency. There is presently a clear misunderstanding with some defibrillator Owners and Guardians who think that because their supplier registered the defibrillator on their own App it is now going to be activated. That is not necessarily the case. Numerous private Apps are not linked with the Emergency Services in any form. This appears to be happening more often with sports associated clubs. If you are unsure of the status of your defibrillator we can confirm if it is registered correctly.
3) The Defibrillators are checked regularly to ensure that they are always rescue ready, especially following a deployment.
4) The more people in a community, retail or business centre that have undergone First Aid Training that includes CPR and defibrillators, the higher the chances of someone surviving Cardiac Arrest in that area.
5) Awareness of the locations of Public Access Defibrillators, including in-store defibrillators, can be crucial. The 999 operator will only direct the caller to a defibrillator that is registered within 600 metres of the incident. However, if you know of one that is 800 metres away but easily accessible, the operator may be able to give you the access code.
6) Strategic cover of a community or centre with Public Access Defibrillators. Allowing that the defibrillator will only be deployed to incidents within 600 metres of its location, communities should plot how many defibrillators are required to safely cover all parts of the area. Filling the gaps to ensure that a particular community has sufficient numbers of defibrillators can genuinely save more lives.
7) Whilst appreciating that Ambulance Services are struggling to meet response times, and should only be contacted in genuine emergencies, do not delay is ringing 999 if someone is suffering from severe chest pains or showing indications of suffering from a stroke. One sure way of surviving a Cardiac Arrest is to avoid the patient going into Cardiac Arrest in the first place by pre-emptive measures. Stop the patient from moving around, get them seated in a comfortable and safe position and monitor them until help arrives.
If you are not aware of the tell tale symptoms of heart attacks and strokes that can lead to Cardiac Arrest, or how to treat someone who is choking, read our training posts.
