Published on 26th May 2017
A 73-year-old man believes his life was saved because his gym had an automatic defibrillator available to treat him when he suffered a heart attack there.
Speaking to Somerset Live, David Little explained that he’d gone to Fitness by Design in Gillingham for his regular workout when he collapsed, before he’d even warmed up.
Mr Little commented: “Only ten per cent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside hospital survive – I am so lucky to have been in the excellent Fitness by Design gym at the time.”
Personal trainer Ben Yorke performed CPR on David while one of his colleagues went to get their defibrillator. Thanks to their efforts, they were able to restart his heart in four minutes, with the paramedics arriving within 15 minutes of being called.
The gym’s owner Colin Fricker explained that he decided to invest in a defibrillator in 2005 because they had such a varied range of members, including some who are in their 90s.
He added that the gym runs annual defibrillator training sessions for all staff to ensure they know how to use the device, although this is the first time they’ve ever needed to use their defibrillator in a real emergency.
Mr Fricker stated: “This proves that defibrillators do save lives and I believe all public places should have one.”
It seems that a growing number of businesses and communities are understanding the value of AEDs, with Yorkshire one region to recently report a rise in the number of community defibrillators available.
There are now more than 800 accessible AEDs in Yorkshire, in addition to the 2,447 devices located at business premises around the county that can be utilised during working hours.