HAPPY H E A R T S First Aid Tips
By Sammy Davies
You might have seen one at your local shopping centre,
or out the front of the pub. They are common in town
halls and churches, and sports clubs.
I am talking about Automatic External
Defibrillators (but that is a bit of a mouthful,
so let’s just call them ‘defibrillators’). In fact,
when you start noticing defibrillators, you
tend to see them everywhere. And for good
reason, too.
A defibrillator delivers an electric shock
to the victim of a cardiac arrest, aiming
to restore a normal heart rhythm. Each
minute of delay before a defibrillator is
used decreases the likelihood of survival
from hospital discharge by 10%. So every
single minute counts. This is exactly why
we are seeing so many defibrillators in the
community.
The great thing about defibrillators is that
they are designed to be used by anyone.
The instructions are clear, with the machine
guiding you through each step. Get those
vivid images of rubbing two steel pads
together and shouting “CLEAR” in a
loud American accent out of your head-
technology has improved and you are not
George Clooney from ER. You will have
to, however, apply pads to the bare chest
www.happyheartsfirstaid.com
as directed by the machine, and check
that everyone is “standing clear” when
prompted.
The device does not allow you to deliver
an electrical shock unless it recognises a
lethal cardiac arrhythmia. The defibrillators
are portable, meaning you can take them
straight to the victim. Normally, however,
you will require a code from the emergency
services to unlock the surrounding cabinet.
It is important to note that interruptions
to CPR should be kept to an absolute
minimum, so someone who is not
performing CPR should go to collect the
defibrillator.
I hope that I have been able to give you a
snippet of useful information without scaring
the pants off you. If you fancy some more
info, The British Heart Foundation has some
great resources if you search within their
website www.bhf.org.uk
Next time you are out and about, take a
mental note of where these devices are
kept. Early defibrillation really does save
lives.
@happyheartsfirstaid
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