Your Community Needs You!
Project Heartbeat in partnership with AEDdonate works with businesses across the UK to make public access defibrillators more accessible in communities. It is also committed to equipping those living and working within these communities with the knowledge and confidence to use one in the event of an emergency.
The average time for emergency services to arrive following a 999 call can be as much as 8-11 minutes. In the case of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), every minute counts, the victim’s survival rate drops by 7-10% for every minute defibrillation (and CPR) is delayed. During this time, the victim’s survival depends on bystanders who initiate CPR and defibrillation from an AED (Automated External Defibrillator).
Defibrillation within 3-5 minutes of collapse can produce survival rates as high as 50-70%. This means with more public access defibrillators, we could significantly improve survival rates.
For less than the price of your daily coffee, Project Heartbeat gives businesses the chance to potentially save lives in their communities, by sponsoring a defibrillator, whilst receiving positive public recognition for the support they’re giving.
In return for sponsoring, your logo and company information will be displayed on the advertising hoarding around the defibrillator’s storage cabinet. This, in turn, raises awareness of their brand and CSR commitment amongst the thousands of local people – friends, family, neighbours, and colleagues – that they’re now protecting.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is an ‘electrical’ problem. An SCA occurs when the heart loses its electrical rhythm and suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. If this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs.
If you find someone unconscious, unresponsive, not breathing or not breathing normally (gasping), they are in sudden cardiac arrest.
Every minute counts.
Every minute without effective treatment reduces that person’s chance of survival by 10%. If you find someone in sudden cardiac arrest, call 999 immediately and start CPR. If an AED is available, use this straight away. The AED will talk you through the rescue.
If an SCA victim receives defibrillation in the first minute, the victim’s chance of survival increases to more than 90 percent.
Less than one in 10 people survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest in the UK. This is partly because bystanders don’t have the skills or confidence to help The concern may be that you could do further harm but the irony is without intervention that person has no chance of survival.
If it’s not treated, SCA usually causes death within minutes.
Heart Attack vs SCA
Often an SCA and heart attack are thought to be the same thing. Although a heart attack can lead on to an SCA if blood flow is restricted long enough, they are both very different.
A Heart Attack is a ‘plumbing’ problem whereas a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is an ‘electrical problem.
A heart attack is caused when the blood supply to the heart is blocked but the heart keeps beating. The patient is conscious, breathing and can be talking but has symptoms such as pains in one or both arms and chest. There are other possible symptoms such as cold sweats, nausea and feeling lightheaded.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)
SCA occurs when the heart’s electrical system goes haywire causing an arrhythmia. There are many types of arrhythmias. The arrhythmia that causes an SCA is one where the heart stops pumping blood to the brain and other vital organs. An SCA can happen to anyone regardless of age, fitness, diet.
Sources:-
Yorkshire Ambulance Service ‘Supporting a nation of Lifesavers Campaign Information Guide’.
NHS choices – www.nhs.uk/conditions/Heart-attack/Pages/Introduction.aspx
British Heart Foundation – www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/conditions/cardiac-arrest
That’s why Cardiac Science specialises in developing innovative Powerheart® AEDs, training devices, and related services, and distributing them across the country. With the right AED on hand anyone can help save a life.