Getting to the heart of the matter

In August 2013, former Ryder Cup captain, Bernard Gallacher,
collapsed during a dinner at a hotel on the outskirts of Aberdeen. Without any
warning, Bernard had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) which had caused his
heart to stop beating.

Fortunately for Bernard, the hotel had a defibrillator on
site and, as a result of the immediate actions of staff with Cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) and the use of early live-saving shocks from a
defibrillator, he survived. He went on to make a full recovery and had an
implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted to prevent further cardiac arrests.
Since the incident, Bernard has also gone on to campaign to raise awareness of
the need for defibrillators at golf clubs and as many public venues as
possible.

SCA – the facts

Bernard’s story is testament to the importance of early defibrillation;
however not every victim is as lucky.

SCA is the world’s biggest killer
and in England in 2013, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) attempted to
resuscitate approximately 28,000 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. These
figures are not conclusive as there are many more cases of cardiac arrests that
occur outside of hospital that are not reported, whereby the EMS do not attempt
resuscitation because the victim is beyond resuscitation upon their arrival.

Many SCA victims, like Bernard, can be saved if persons
nearby recognise what has happened, quickly summon the ambulance service,
perform basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (particularly chest compressions)
and use a defibrillator to provide a high energy electric shock to restore the
heart’s normal rhythm. Each of these stages is vital in order to provide the
best chance of survival, but the critical factor is the speed with which the
shock is given. If defibrillation is delivered promptly, survival rates as high
as 75% have been reported.

Factors that may increase the risk of SCA

SCAs are unpredictable and can happen to anyone, any time,
anywhere. However, there are factors that can severely increase the possibility
of a SCA. You are at higher risk if you:

• have previously suffered a heart attack or heart disease
• have a family history of heart problems
• have unknown heart problems
• are a victim of asphyxiation (drowning, choking etc)
• are a victim of electrocution
• have had an impact or trauma to the chest

Many factors in the workplace can also delay the timely
delivery of potentially lifesaving resuscitation. Businesses based in remote
locations will likely be subject to longer response times by the emergency
services. Similarly urban or multi-storey locations could be difficult for
emergency responders to reach due to the need to negotiate traffic, staircases,
elevators, escalators or crowds of people. Industrial campuses or businesses
with spread out facilities could also prove hazardous if first aid equipment
and defibrillators are located in a distant building.

For the best chance of survival, defibrillation should be
delivered within the first four to six minutes. The likelihood of successful
resuscitation decreases by approximately 10% with every minute that
passes and after 10 minutes without defibrillation, few attempts at
resuscitation are successful. As the average response time for emergency
medical services in a typical community is eight minutes, an automated external
defibrillator (AED) placed on site could mean the difference between life and
death.

Defibrillators – the benefits

There is currently no legislation in place in the UK or
Ireland which obliges certain businesses or premises to provide an AED, however AED’s have been described as the single
most important development in the treatment of SCA.

AEDs are easy to use, compact and portable. They are completely
safe to use and will not allow a shock to be given unless the heart’s rhythm
requires it. Machines are also designed to be stored for long periods without
use and require very little routine maintenance.

Whilst first aid training courses and specific training on
the use of defibrillators are available, circumstances often dictate that no
trained operator is present on site when an emergency strikes. Therefore the
Resuscitation Council (UK) states that ‘AEDs should not therefore be restricted
to trained personnel’. With this in mind, the latest defibrillators on the market are purpose designed
so that everyone, including the untrained user, can easily use the equipment. Products
such as Defibtech’s new Lifeline View Semi Automatic Defibrillator includes a
full colour interactive display that shows step by step videos for performing
CPR, rescue breathing and external defibrillation. Visual prompts are
accompanied by verbal instructions to help people respond confidently and
appropriately in an emergency.

SCA can happen to anyone, at any time. To ensure that you can provide employees with
the best possible emergency assistance should disaster strike, speak to a defibrillation specialist.