Cardiac arrest survival rates remain stubbornly low – we all have a responsibility to change this.
It’s well documented that around 30,000 of us will experience a sudden cardiac arrest outside of hospital each year in the UK, but you may not know shockingly, just one in 10 people are expected to survive.
A sudden cardiac arrest is often caused by an electrical malfunction in the heart, which causes it to go into a potentially fatal rhythm (ventricular fibrillation).
The patient collapses and without prompt interventions, like chest compressions and defibrillation, the harder it is to restart their heart, and the more likely it is they will die.
Every second counts and knowing what to do, where to get a defibrillator (which will tell you what to do), is vital.
In communities across the UK, sadly, only a small proportion of people will receive life-saving CPR or have a defibrillator applied to them in those first crucial minutes before an ambulance crew or first responder arrives.
As a nurse of 23 years and a resuscitation practitioner of 16 years, I’ve seen first-hand the huge difference early intervention can make in an emergency.
Patients who survive cardiac arrests have these two crucial things in common – they received CPR and defibrillation, and they received it immediately.
These key steps can help influence the chances of someone surviving a cardiac arrest by up to 90 percent and form the basis of what is called the ‘Chain of Survival’. Without this, outcomes are bleak.
So how do we increase survival rates of out of hospital cardiac arrest, and make sure everyone has access to the information and equipment they need to help?
The work St John Ambulance, British Heart Foundation and the Resus Council UK do to promote the national defibrillator database, ‘The Circuit’ – which is used by every ambulance service in the UK to signpost people to their nearest device – is a start.
But The Circuit only works if the network knows where these lifesaving devices are, and people have the confidence to help in those first crucial minutes.
St John Community Advocates do a fantastic job of raising awareness of these important skills and devices in our communities, but we all have the responsibility to brush up on our lifesaving skills, like CPR, and make sure we’re registering our defibs onto The Circuit.
By doing this, we can all help the UK become a leader in cardiac survival rates – but most importantly, help save the ones we love the most.
– David Bowen is national clinical lead for resuscitation for St John Ambulance