Why Have a Defibrillator

Life expectancy
Following a Cardiac Arrest the chance of survival decreases by 23% per minute. It is therefore very important medical treatment starts as soon as possible. The UK Resuscitation Council suggests an AED should be available wherever medical treatment is more than 5 minutes away. In practical terms this means the whole of the UK.

About Defibrillators or AEDs:
A defibrillator delivers an electrical current through the chest which aims to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm allowing it to pump again.  Rapid response using automated technology can significantly improve the quality of life of a survivor, as the longer the brain is starved of oxygen, the more damage that can occur.  An AED is a portable defibrillator especially designed for people with no medical background.  When applied to the victim, voice commands and screen messages will guide the user step-by-step through the process and its intelligent technology will only allow it to shock a ‘shockable’ heart rhythm.   AED technology opens a window for the public to take on a key role to support emergency services who would otherwise be hindered by the time it takes to reach the victim.  It is argued that AEDs should be as broadly deployed as fire extinguishers and first aid kits. 

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest:
Sudden Cardiac Arrest or SCA is an electrical malfunction of the heart (most commonly Ventricular Fibrillation) in which the heart stops pumping blood to the body and brain due to an abnormal heart rhythm known as an arrhythmia.  As the victim consecutively loses pulse, consciousness and ability to breathe, the victim is termed “clinically dead” and can only be physically brought back to life in a very small window of time using a defibrillator or AED. 

Survival: 5% with CPR alone; 50% with defibrillation

The rate of survival of an SCA is dependent upon time. The quicker the intervention, the better the outcome. Brain death starts after 3 minutes so urgent action is needed, particularly in rural areas where it can take several minutes to get a competently trained person to the scene. PADs can be at the scene in a matter of minutes.

Recent evidence suggests that public access defibrillation is almost 10x more effective in saving lives than just CFR schemes alone. This is nothing to do with skills of the responders, but simply a fator of time to the patient. To give a good outcome, medical help needs to be present at the patient within 4-5 minutes.

Most CFR schemes attend only 10% - 20% of SCA events on average (source EMAS)

Very few CFR schemes offer a 24 hour, 7 day a week and 365 days a year service. However cPAD schemes can offer life savig resources to the general public as well as off duty/out of hours medical and CFR personnel.

One day, Public Access Defibrillators will be as common as roadsigns.

If an SCA occurs, start CPR straight away and call 999 without delay!

Get the AED/PAD and follow the instrictions the AED unit gives you.

No one will critisise you for trying to save a life! The AED will not function unless it determines there is a need, so dont worry about using one!