First Aid for Automated Defibrillators
Over 150.000 people die from cardiac arrest in the UK each year. The majority might be saved if only their heart could be defibrillated within five minutes. When someone has a cardiac arrest defibrillation needs to be prompt. For every minute that passes chances of survival decrease by 14 per cent. Research shows that applying a controlled shock within five minutes of collapse provides the best possible outcome (British Heart Foundation).
An Automated External Defibrillator – with a trained operator – at the site of a sudden cardiac arrest can raise the chance of survival from 5% to 80%.
Resuscitation training
A defibrillator uses electric shocks to stop a heart that is beating irregularly, in the hope of restoring a regular heartbeat. The £100,000 project is being rolled out to the city's schools over the current academic year. Oliver's family believes that if a defibrillator had been available, his life could have been saved.
Automated External Defibrillator use is now being introduced to First Aid Training in London and throughout the UK and most schools and organisations are having Automated External Defibrillators installed as a measure to combat an emergency should it arise.
How does CPR work?
All the cells in your body require oxygen to survive. They also require a good supply of nutrients and the rapid removal of waste products. Oxygen and nutrients are carried around the body in your blood, which is pumped by your heart. In your lungs, oxygen enters your blood stream and carbon dioxide (a waste product) is removed in a process known as gas exchange.
A "cardiac arrest" is when your heart stops beating. This is not the same as a "heart attack", although a heart attack may lead to a cardiac arrest. There are numerous causes of cardiac arrests, including:
> A disturbance in the heart rhythm > Drugs/poisoning > Heart disease / a heart attack > Traumatic injury/blood loss > Anaphylaxis
If a cardiac arrest occurs, blood will stop circulating around the body. Breathing will also cease as well though it may not stop completely for several minutes.
Without a supply of oxygen, the cells in the body start to die. Brain cells are incredibly sensitive, after about 4 -5 minutes of no oxygen brain cells will begin dying leading to brain damage and death.
The purpose of CPR is to keep oxygenated blood flowing around the body to keep the vital organs alive. CPR itself will not restart someone's heart, it just keeps them alive until a defibrillator arrives. A defibrillator is a device which delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restart it.
An Automated External Defibrillator – with a trained operator – at the site of a sudden cardiac arrest can raise the chance of survival from 5% to 80%.
Resuscitation training
A defibrillator uses electric shocks to stop a heart that is beating irregularly, in the hope of restoring a regular heartbeat. The £100,000 project is being rolled out to the city's schools over the current academic year. Oliver's family believes that if a defibrillator had been available, his life could have been saved.
Automated External Defibrillator use is now being introduced to First Aid Training in London and throughout the UK and most schools and organisations are having Automated External Defibrillators installed as a measure to combat an emergency should it arise.
How does CPR work?
All the cells in your body require oxygen to survive. They also require a good supply of nutrients and the rapid removal of waste products. Oxygen and nutrients are carried around the body in your blood, which is pumped by your heart. In your lungs, oxygen enters your blood stream and carbon dioxide (a waste product) is removed in a process known as gas exchange.
A "cardiac arrest" is when your heart stops beating. This is not the same as a "heart attack", although a heart attack may lead to a cardiac arrest. There are numerous causes of cardiac arrests, including:
> A disturbance in the heart rhythm > Drugs/poisoning > Heart disease / a heart attack > Traumatic injury/blood loss > Anaphylaxis
If a cardiac arrest occurs, blood will stop circulating around the body. Breathing will also cease as well though it may not stop completely for several minutes.
Without a supply of oxygen, the cells in the body start to die. Brain cells are incredibly sensitive, after about 4 -5 minutes of no oxygen brain cells will begin dying leading to brain damage and death.
The purpose of CPR is to keep oxygenated blood flowing around the body to keep the vital organs alive. CPR itself will not restart someone's heart, it just keeps them alive until a defibrillator arrives. A defibrillator is a device which delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restart it.
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