Not exactly AF related but anyone been on a course and learned how to use one of these things? Wife and me just did a 4 hour course with St John's Ambulance and we get a certificate at the end. It's not how to use the AED, it's the whole process, what to avoid with pacemakers, all sorts. Amazing machines, they tell you what to do.
We're now having one in our village hall.
Makes you feel like buying one and having it in the car all the time, you never know.
Koll
Seen one demonstrated and yes it is pretty fool proof so long as you do what you are prompted to do. Lots of places have campaigns to buy one. Not cheap but could save lives. Always worth looking in shopping malls to see if they have one fitted. You have to dial a special number to get the release code which also calls emergency services. Some golf clubs have them and I understand there are at least six in parliament building although some people might not think that a good idea. lol Apolitical joke. We hate them all.
Well done Koll.
Bob
Hi,
We have an AED in our village, bought with donations given during Arrhythmia Week in June 2010. I had a collection in my Post Office and gave out pamphlets with the story of my own cardiac arrest and survival the previous month. Within hours of opening we had more than enough to pay for the AED and a weatherproof secure cabinet. It was a very weepy story – even I have difficulty holding back tears if I read it!!
Yes AED’s are a great piece of kit; every village should have at least one. I organised a training session in our village only last week with thirteen attendees, didn’t give out any certificates but everybody was very glad to have been there. Another one is planned for next month.
If you click on these links you will find a lot more info: - defibssavelives.org/defibri... aedlocator.org/
I hope to meet up with those of you going to the meal on the Saturday before Patients Day (although I doubt I can get to the meal itself). So if you’re interested I will tell you more then.
Cyril
Look forward to it Cyril.
I saw one - or similar - on the station yesterday.
I know a friend in our village fund-raised for a couple after her hubby had a heart attack, they're a great idea and good for you learning how to use one...I've seen one demonstrated too and they are amazing bits of kit. I'm not sure if the nearest one to us is in the village or down the hill in the 'big town' I have to say. I should probably find out! We're a bit remote and I can imagine ambulance turnout times are not the best.
We have one outside our village hall, it was paid for by a grant from the Big Lottery Fund to the District Seniors Action Forum. Courses start soon - it's a great idea.
I think it's a great idea as well. We're having one in our village hall. Only problem I can see though is how long it takes to get the thing and get it to the patient. On the course, they did say every minute is a certain percentage drop in the likely success, and it was quite a big figure. I think I recall 7 minutes being a very long time, but don't take my word for it, my memory's somewhere between dreadful and non-existent.
Koll
With Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) the heart stops beating, thus starving the brain and other vital organs of oxygen. Immediate CPR will pump some blood (and a little air) through the system but will only give a 5% chance of survival. The use of a defibrillator as well increases this to 50% or more but this percentage decreases between 7 and 10% for every minute that the heart remains not beating, so the sooner a defibrillator gets to the patient the better. The longer it takes the more chance there is of permanent brain damage - the magic figure usually bandied about is 8 minutes. Having said that if you are ever trying to save somebody then never give up until medical aid arrives, or you just can't carry on with CPR and there is no one to take over.
Cyril.
Is it a choice? Pacemaker v Implanted defibrillator?
New year
On Line Mindfulness Course starting June
