First aid defibrillator raises chance of survival

Laerdal has developed a First Aid Defibrillator "Heartstart" that, with minimal training, can be used on cardiac arrest victims by members of the public, before the arrival of a paramedic.

OverResearch shows that early defibrillation increases survival rates by 75 per cent.

150,000 people die from sudden cardiac arrest in the UK every year, making it the UK's most common cause of sudden death.

Even with the advent of paramedic ambulances and the government's target of an eight-minute response time, we stil have a less than 5 per cent survival to hospital rate.

Laerdal Medical has developed a First Aid Defibrillator "Heartstart" that, with minimal training, can be used safely and effectively on cardiac arrest victims by members of the public, before the arrival of a paramedic.

In up to 85 per cent of cardiac arrests, the heart simply loses its rhythm, and goes into ventricular fibrillation (VF).

A heart in VF requires urgent, definitive treatment rather than CPR which simply "buys time" until the ambulance arrives.

If a shock from a defibrillator is passed through the heart within 2-3 minutes, the patient's chances of survival will be increased by over 50 per cent.

Learning how to use an AED is surprisingly simple and St John Ambulance reports that many people find it much easier than CPR training.

Laerdal's new Heartstart for First Aiders launched at this year's SandH Expo, takes you through the defibrillation procedure step by step with an automated "voice" that waits for you to react to one command before prompting the next step.

It will repeat a command if no action is taken, and there are comprehensive diagrams on the defibrillator casing to support the audible instructions.

Although no training is required to be able to successfully operate an AED, minimal training is advised to give the trainee hands-on practical training and the confidence to administer defibrillation in an emergency.

The Resuscitation Council (UK) states that, although at the moment, there is no statutory legal requirement under English law to provide a defibrillator in a public or work place, there is growing evidence that liability may arise under common law for failure to take adequate safeguards to protect those present at a facility.

The risk of this occurrence can be balanced against the cost of purchasing an AED and training staff to use it in an emergency.

Data from the UK and the experience of the Resuscitation Council (UK) suggests that cardiac arrests are more likely to happen in certain places.

Transport facilities, particularly airports, railway stations and bus stations are considered higher risk sites, as are gyms, leisure centres and other sporting venues where members of the public are exercising.

A two year study was carried out by the New England Journal of Medicine, at three Chicago airports to assess whether random bystanders witnessing sudden cardiac arrest would retrieve and successfully use an AED.

Defibrillators were installed a brisk 6--90 second walk apart throughout passenger terminals at the three airports, which together serve more than 100 million passengers per year.

The use of defibrillators was promoted by public service videos in waiting areas, leaflets and reports in the media.

Over the two years, 21 people suffered a non-traumatic cardiac arrest.

Four victims were not given defibrillation within five minutes and did not survive.

Fifteen of the defibrillator operators acted voluntarily, six of whom had had no previous medical training.

Eleven of the victims were successfully resuscitated and eight even regained consciousness before hospital admission.

Laerdal's UK product development manager Tony Kemp explains, "Statistics from the British Heart Foundation conclude that coronary heart disease is still the single most common cause of death in men and women in the UK today, accounting for 1 in 4 men and 1 in 6 women".

""Early, pre-hospital defibrillation can dramatically increase the number of patients that survive a heart attack to be discharged from hospital.

"The more people who are able to administer defibrillation in an emergency, the better these statistics will get.".

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