Category Archives: ROSC

James Barry (16) real CPR story

See on Scoop.itDefibrillation

Having practiced CPR and attending many first aid courses that my dad has run I was amazed that when I needed to perform CPR for real how my reflexes took over and I automatically got on with the job in hand.

I was at college when the caretaker collapsed. People stood around looking but not doing anything. When I approached the man a member of staff was shaking him trying to get him to respond. I immediately tilted the casualties head to open his airway, I then listened for breathing whilst counting to 10. This seemed an eternity but I was sure that the man was not breathing. I asked the member of staff to call for an ambulance and say that this was a cardiac arrest.

I started CPR. This felt similar to what I had practiced on the courses but there was a little bit more resistance on the chest than on the Brad manikin. I actually felt the chest give on a couple of occasions as ribs gave way.

Giving breaths was as practiced in the classes and I used a face shield which I keep in a pouch on my keys. I continued with CPR for about 3 minutes and then an ambulance arrived. I continued with the CPR whilst I spoke to the paramedics and explained what had happened. It was only at this time that I realised how out of breath I was. It was a real relief to see the paramedics although I had heard the sirens of the ambulance as they came along the driveway.

The paramedics told me to keep doing chest compressions whilst they set up their equipment and inserted an airway. One paramedic stuck defib pads to the mans chest, I was told to move away from the casualty and they delivered a shock. The casualty lifted off the floor when he received the shock. Just as this was happening a second ambulance arrived.

It appeared that the shock from the defib had worked as the paramedics could see a heart beat on their monitor and the man was trying to breath himself. All 4 paramedics got the casualty onto a stretcher and set off for hospital on blue lights and sirens.

I have since met the man involved in this incident at a college open evening and will be starting this college in September.

I was really surprised how the training I had just took over but I must admitted I was in shock afterwards and felt sick. I would get involved in a medical emergency again and this has given me confidence to want to become a first aid instructor and follow my dream of becoming a paramedic.

James Barry (aged 16)

See on blog.protrainings.eu

London Ambulance Service – Parliament receives lifesaving equipment

See on Scoop.itDefibrillation

Visitors and employees at the Houses of Parliament can now be assured of receiving the very best in service from the first aid team, following the installation of 16 new defibrillators.

Part funded by the British Heart Foundation, defibrillators are machines that can deliver a shock to restart a patient’s heart should they suffer a cardiac arrest – when the heart stops pumping blood around the body.

The newly qualified six-strong HeartStart training team and the current first aid team at the Houses of Parliament will now be on hand to deliver this lifesaving care 24 hours a day.

London Ambulance Service is responsible for over 800 public-access defibrillators around the capital, placed in tourist attractions, transport hubs, shopping centres and sports facilities.

Last year the scheme helped to save 11 patients who had suffered a cardiac arrest to be discharged from hospital. Overall in London, almost a third of patients suffering cardiac arrest survived in 2011/12 – the highest in the country.

 
See on www.londonambulance.nhs.uk

Stafford Borough Council – Man speaks of night NOT to remember

See on Scoop.itDefibrillation

A Stone man has now spoken of the night he nearly died at his local gym.

Russell Follows said if it hadn’t been for a quick thinking fitness instructor he wouldn’t be alive today.

Mr Follows suffered a cardiac arrest in the changing rooms of the borough council run Westbridge Park Fitness Centre. But local instructor, Lee Nicklin used CPR and an on-site defibrillator to keep the man alive until an ambulance took him to University of North Staffs hospital.

Speaking about the incident Mr Follows, 55, said: “Thanks to Lee I’m still here and in the world.”

Stafford Borough Council provides defibrillators at a number of its premises including all leisure centres, the Civic Centre, Gatehouse Theatre and the crematorium on Tixall Road with around 70 members of staff trained to use them.

Mr Follows continued: “I’m coming to terms with what’s happened. I can’t remember anything from that night, not even driving to the gym, or using the gym.”

“He acted immediately and did enough that evening to save my life and I can only say a million thank yous. And even that’s not enough. He is a genuinely nice guy, and got very emotional when I went in and thanked him last week.”

Mr Follows said how defibrillators are a much needed piece of equipment: “I’m just grateful that as well as Lee there was a defibrillator on hand which is there for everyone to use in emergencies – and as you can see they save lives.”

But the incident has not put him off using the gym: “I enjoy the gym so it’s hard not to go, but I’ve been told to take it easy. So I’m not going to over do it just yet.”

Mr Follows left hospital on Saturday 2 March after under going surgery where he was fitted with a mini defibrillator, following the cardiac arrest last month: “Having the defibrillator fitted was a big decision to make, but really it’s a no brainer it’s like a comfort blanket in case anything happens again. Plus it’s also peace of mind for my family.”

Lee, 39 said: “It was all part of the job. We are trained to use the defibrillators and knowing that it saved Russell’s life demonstrates how important the machine and our regular training is.”

He continued: “It was just so emotional and great to see Russell when he came back into the gym with a thank you card.”

Councillor Mike Smith, cabinet member for leisure, said: “We had a similar incident happen in Stafford several years ago, and it just highlights how important defibrillators are.”
See on www.staffordbc.gov.uk

How a health club’s AEDs saved 100 lives

See on Scoop.itDefibrillation

David Lloyd Leisure’s health clubs do business throughout Europe; the company has 80 sites in the UK alone. With more than 440,000 members the company gets 25 million club visits a year. Since 1998, the David Lloyd Leisure staff has used AEDs to save the lives of more than 100 people.

There’s no legal requirement in the UK for fitness clubs to have automated external defibrillators (AEDs) on the premises. But the health and safety experts at David Lloyd Leisure insist on having AEDs readily accessible at every one of their busy clubs. This policy, along with staff training in AED use, has made a world of difference. Since 1999, David Lloyd Leisure has saved more than 100 lives.

“Our feeling is every fitness facility should have an AED, even if there’s no legal requirement,” says Caleb Brown, of the health and safety office at David Lloyd Leisure. “AEDs have become so affordable, and the response element is something which is really easy for a health club to do — they’ve already got team members available.”

One of Europe’s largest health and fitness businesses, David Lloyd Leisure started its AED program in 1998. At first, this simply meant ensuring that the reception desk at every facility had a defibrillator at hand.

A staff member from David Lloyd Leisure Brooklands with their Powerheart AED. Staff at the club used the AED to revive a member in 2010.

The return on investment in terms of lives saved was immediate, and the company nurtured the AED program. Brown, who joined the company in 2000, has been involved in the development of the company’s AED training program as part of overall safety training. Today, an AED is brought immediately to the scene of any health incident at one of the clubs.

While the survival rate for people who suffer outside-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest in the United Kingdom is less than 20 percent, the survival rate for someone who suffers cardiac arrest or another serious health incident at one of the David Lloyd Leisure clubs reached 88 percent in 2012.

How They Chose Powerheart AEDs

All David Lloyd Leisure clubs are equipped with at least one AED, and one large, six-story site has two defibrillators on the premises. All the AEDs — with the exception of devices at clubs recently acquired from other companies — are Cardiac Science Powerheart AED G3s. The Powerheart AEDs were chosen because they’re highly portable and easy to use, with long-lasting medical-grade batteries and Rescue-Ready technology that conducts an automatic self-check of the main components (battery, hardware, software, and pads) every day. When it’s nearing time to replace a battery, a Rescue Ready indicator on the AED turns red and sounds an alert.

“The Powerhearts are so easy to look after, and the maintenance system is brilliant,” Brown says.

In the aftermath of any incident in which an AED was required, the club replaces the used pads with a set of spares. Brown, or one of his health and safety team colleagues, then visits the club to download data from the AED for hospital use, write up an incident report, and supply a new set of spare pads.

Training: Key to a Successful AED Program

Brown, who took on a leadership role in the AED program in 2006, has designed training for club employees that enables them to respond with maximum speed and efficiency when a cardiac incident occurs.

“Because of the voice prompts, even an untrained bystander can use an AED,” Brown points out. “With a training program, you give people the ability to react faster in an event, which is going to increase chances of survival.”

Ambulance response time in urban areas in the UK is usually under 8 minutes, Brown noted, but for a sudden cardiac arrest victim that is often too late. Brown’s goal has been to train David Lloyd Leisure staff to get the AED to the victim, and the defibrillator pads on the victim’s chest, within 1 minute.

Once the pads are attached, the AED can diagnose the heart rhythm, and, if appropriate, administer a shock. The AED’s voice prompts coach the team through every step of the process, including administering CPR. The AEDs are programmed in accordance with the latest resuscitation guidelines, and David Lloyd Leisure bases its training on those same guidelines.

“I believe that some businesses overestimate the amount of training that is required for a successful AED program,” Brown says. “Our training is only two hours for an employee, once a year. With just that basic training, in the vast majority of incidents requiring an AED, we are able to get the pads onto the chest in less than a minute.”

In 2012, the company’s survival rate for incidents in which an AED was deployed reached 88 percent.

Case Study: Saving a Life at the Health Club

“I would not be alive now had it not been for the quick intervention of Paul, Laura,and others and their ability to resuscitate me,” a 45-year-old businessman wrote in a letter to David Lloyd Leisure. “I have been advised by doctors that if I had been anywhere else, in particularly where there was no defibrillator, I would not have survived.”

The man had collapsed while using a rowing machine at the North London club. Bystanders alerted the club’s team straightaway, and one of the team immediately started CPR. The AED was brought to the area and the pads put on immediately. The AED diagnosed a shockable heart rhythm and it administered one shock.

“By the time the ambulance crew arrived, the man was breathing and talking,” Caleb Brown, part of the company’s health and safety team, said. “He went on to make a complete recovery, went back to work, and he’s back at the club.”

Two members of the David Lloyd Leisure staff were directly involved in the rescue. One delivered CPR and the other used the AED. A half dozen others assisted, clearing members from the area and making sure there was access for the ambulance crew.

“The training I received in using the AED enabled me to use the AED with confidence and the clear voice prompts helped to keep me calm,” one of the rescuers reported after the incident. “It’s an amazing feeling to know that the actions I took resulted in a life being saved.”
See on www.cardiacscience.com