First Aid

Defibrillators Save Lives

Defibrillators Save Lives

In the UK over 30,000 people have a cardiac arrest outside of hospital each year. If casualty’s are treated with early defibrillation the chance of survival is overwhelming.  Survival rates as high as 75% have been reported when the casualty has received prompt defibrillation.  However, time is an important factor in how effective defibrillation is.  Each passing minute decreases the chance of success by 10%.  UK resuscitation council say you should defibrillate within three minutes of collapse.

On average it takes ten minutes for an ambulance to arrive at a scene from despatch.  Valuable life-saving minutes are lost.  Although it may be possible to keep a person alive with good effective CPR it is unlikely to bring them to a response.  Defibrillation is required promptly if it is to be effective.

Last month, Chris McNeill, age 17 collapsed during a football game in Portstewart.  A doctor attended to him and he was revived with a debrillator.  He later underwent surgery in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.  Another defibrillator was used to resuscitate GAA referee Gabriel Tumelty, who was then taken to Daisy Hospital for further treatment.

Unfortunately a GAA referee collapsed and died during a hurling match in Swatragh.  He was first treated on the pitch before being transferred to the changing rooms where the defibrillator was used.

Time is critical and UK resus state that, “the delay from collapse to delivery of first shock is the single most important determinate of survival.”

Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) is the term used when AED’s are publically available for people working nearby.  Fast response times are then possible with impressive results as high as 74% survival. 

CPR should be used in conjunction with Defibrillation.  Good effective CPR, with early defibrillation (within 3 minutes of collapse) can make the difference between life and death.