Product category:
Personal protective equipment (PPE), devices
News Release from: Laerdal Medical | Subject: automated external defibrillator
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 24 July 2003
Early defibrillation in the air
Monarch Airlines proves that early defibrillation saves lives.
On a recent Monarch Airlines flight from Alicante to Luton, the safety and health training of its cabin crew was put to the test when one of its passengers - a 41 year-old man - suffered a sudden cardiac arrest mid-flight Life-saving treatment was administered by a flight attendant, who, using an on-board Laerdal Automatic External Defibrillator (AED), successfully shocked the man's heart back into a stable beating pattern
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 2 Jul 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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The aircraft was diverted to Toulouse Airport, France, where the passenger made a full recovery in a nearby hospital.
Monarch Airlines has a major presence in airports throughout the UK, and carries nearly 5 million passengers to 100 destinations, with a combined workforce of nearly 3,000 people.
Monarch has an outstanding reputation for its pristine, modern fleet aswell as its highly-trained staff.
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With a reputation to maintain, Monarch is constantly seeking the best solutions to ensure that all its passengers are carried to their destinations in comfort and safety, and has installed life-saving Laerdal AEDs on all its scheduled and charter passenger flights.
Allan Booth, flight/chief safety training officer at Monarch Airlines explains the decision to have Laerdal AEDs onboard.
"The importance of early defibrillation was a subject covered in a training course I attended".
"Time is of the essence in the event of a passenger suffering a cardiac arrest, and in 85 per cent of cases, early defibrillation is the only treatment that can improve the chances of a victim's survival".
"Monarch has a responsibility to its passengers' safety and having defibrillators on-board enhances our chances of being able to increase the survival rate of anyone unfortunate enough to suffer a sudden cardiac arrest whilst flying".
Mr Booth continues, "Laerdal defibrillators are very easy to use, with voice prompts to guide the operator through each step and an ECG screen that could help any on board medical professionals make a diagnosis".
"They are also lightweight, compact and reliable".
"We bring in the skills of St John Ambulance to oversee the First Aid training for all cabin crew, and our senior cabin crew, who are licensed to operate the defibrillators, must demonstrate competency on the use of the equipment during annual re-training".
Referring to the life-saving treatment administered on the recent flight from Alicante to Luton, Allan says, "The flight crew did a fantastic job".
"They recognised the symptoms straight away, attached the pads and monitored the man's heart".
"Shortly afterwards, the man collapsed, and as the defibrillator was already in place, the operator was able to administer treatment within seconds".
"He recovered after the first shock and remained stable".
"This is the second instance that a Laerdal AED has successfully been used on a Monarch Airline flight since we purchased them in 2000".
"We are delighted that we have been able to save the lives of two passengers who otherwise may have died, by simply having defibrillators in the right place at the right time." There are currently two types of Laerdal AEDs - the Heartstart First Aid Defibrillator and the Heartstart FR2.
With very minimal training, the Heartstart First Aid Defibrillator can be operated effectively by members of the public and work-place first-aiders.
The FR2 has a screen that can be used by emergency response teams, medically-trained professionals or first responders in the emergency care community.
Both are very easy to use.
Guidance from the Resuscitation Council (UK) states that sudden cardiac arrests are more likely to happen in public places such as airports, train stations, leisure centres and shopping centres.
If a first-aid responder can defibrillate a victim within 2-3 minutes of arrest, the chances of their survival are increased by up to 50 per cent.
Over 150,000 people die of heart attacks each year - a figure that can be dramatically reduced if more defibrillators are placed in public places.
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