The importance of easy attainability of defibrillators
A future of reduced cardiac arrest fatalities
Posted by Simone Sackey on Feb 13, 2025
Defibrillators are devices that are used to treat a person whose heart has failed, which is a condition called cardiac arrest. The use of a defibrillator is the transfer of a highly intense shock to the recipient’s/ patient’s chest, with the intent of restarting their heart.
According to an article from Defibshop, there is an estimation of approximately 60,000 Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests (OHCA) that happen every year in the UK. Additionally, 200 people suffer a Sudden Cardiac Arrest in the UK every day, according to a statement from the Resuscitation Council. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of SCA sufferers survive. This goes to show the grave importance of having defibrillators available at every location, in order to reduce the number of tragedies that can come of a sudden cardiac arrest.
Action taking place around the UK
There’re communities and charities across the UK who have acknowledged the value of defibrillators and are implementing the supply of AEDs to local communities as well as training on how to use them for all charity staff who have existing basic life support training. Besides this, AEDs are significant for being reasonably simple to use, regardless of prior experience using the equipment.
Here are additional facts to promote the importance of AED availability:
- “The use of a defibrillator within four minutes of collapse from a cardiac arrest can dramatically improve chances of survival by up to 50%.”
- “There are approximately 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year. For every minute that someone is in cardiac arrest without receiving CPR and having a defibrillator used on them, their chance of survival decreases by 10%.”
- They are easy to use, portable and very effective
We have a framework for you
At Procurement Services, our awarded suppliers on our Emergency Response, Rescue Equipment and Associated Services framework can help local communities gain further access to defibrillators with the appropriate approach, whether it be through leasing or after sale servicing. The next step to saving more lives may be the provision of AEDs to schools, recreation centres, or any other public building that holds a large capacity of people on a day-to-day basis, as an essential component within first aid kits.
If you would like more information on this, please contact: pscustomerenquiries@csltd.org.uk
Let’s advance with the mission to help save thousands of lives from heart failure.
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