Published on 7th May 2019
Sudden Cardiac Arrest is indiscriminate.
It can strike anyone at any time regardless of age, medical history or level of fitness. Each year in Britain alone more than 30,000 incidents happen outside of a hospital and less than one in ten victims survive.
Knowing what to do when Sudden Cardiac Arrest strikes could save a life. A fast response is vital – the chances of survival drop by 20% every minute without treatment – but the average ambulance response time is over 11 minutes.
Even if you don’t have any medical training, you can still make a difference by being ‘hands-on’ when the worst happens.
Hands-Only CPR is CPR without the mouth-to-mouth breaths. With the exception of cardiac arrests brought about by drowning, the victim is likely to have some air left in their lungs in the first few minutes after an arrest. Chest compressions will help to push this air through their body and keep vital organs alive until help arrives.
The compressions should be hard and fast in the centre of the chest at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute. A useful way to remember the rate is to match the compressions to the beat of a song – ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by the Bee Gees is the most frequently used but if you’re not familiar with 1970’s disco, then ‘Crazy in Love’ by Beyoncé, ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ by Shakira and ‘Walk The Line’ by Johnny Cash will work just as well.
In those vital first minutes after a Sudden Cardiac Arrest, any form of CPR – whether it’s with or without breaths – will at least give the patient a fighting chance at survival.
The American Heart Association has already been promoting hands-only CPR for a number of years as people are generally more comfortable with the technique so are more likely to react. Its simplified method is also much easier to remember during the panic of an emergency situation.
Another advantage is that it’s much easier to coach rescuers through the procedure – emergency service operators can talk you through what to do over the phone.
The result is that the number of people using hands-only CPR has increased by 600% according to a new study carried out by Swedish researchers.
The study used data from 30,445 patients and analysed all out of hospital cardiac arrest incidents in Sweden between 2000 and 2017. The results showed that the percentage of victims who received CPR from bystanders grew from 40.8% in 2000-2005 to 68.2% in 2011-2017.
The numbers receiving CPR with breaths were roughly the same for each time period, but hands-only CPR rose from 5.4% to 30.1% in recent years. Survival rates also increased for both sets of patients: 9.4% to 16.2% for standard CPR and 8.0% to 14.3% for hands-only.
CPR is effective but if it’s combined with an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) the victim has the best possible chance of surviving. This can be as high as 90% if they’re defibrillated within sixty seconds and 70% within the first five minutes.
AEDs are designed to be simple to use so that anyone can save a life, regardless of training or medical knowledge. You can rely on the unit to make all the decisions and guide you through the process step by step. It will analyse and assess the victim’s heart rhythm and, if needed, deliver a controlled electric shock to the chest to help pump blood normally again.
Lifeline AEDs are the world’s simplest to use and they’re lightweight and compact so they can be carried quickly and easily to a victim. They also look sleek, professional and non-threatening which is an important factor for anyone feeling daunted when using an AED for the first time.
We offer tailor-made packages that provide you with everything you need for a variety of different environments from schools and offices to sports clubs, transport hubs and construction sites. There are also many training options available which can be used on their own or be combined to ensure you’re prepared for when Sudden Cardiac Arrest strikes.
If you act quickly with CPR and defibrillation, more lives can be saved from Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
Contact us to find out more about Sudden Cardiac Arrest, our range of AEDs and training options.
A fast response makes all the difference. If you can respond with CPR and defibrillation inside 60 seconds, the victim’s chance of survival is as high as 90%. Within 5 minutes, it’s 70% but after this, it drops by 20% every minute.
Martek Lifecare’s Lifeline is the world’s simplest AED to use and we have a package that’s tailor-made for sports clubs. It’s exactly what’s needed in an emergency situation and could mean the difference between life and death.
AEDs are designed to be as simple to use as possible. Anybody can save a life in the event of an emergency, you don’t need to have a medical background or any special training. The unit will analyse and assess the victim’s heart rhythm and, if needed, deliver a controlled electric shock to the chest to help pump blood normally again.
You can rely on the AED to make all the decisions for you and guide you through the process step by step. You can’t make a mistake – it’s impossible to shock someone who isn’t having a cardiac arrest.
However unintimidating and easy an AED is to operate, non-medically trained personnel may still be in a state of panic during an emergency situation. For this reason, we offer a range of training to provide peace of mind.
Our Bronze package can provide you with virtual training from a Martek Lifecare representative so that you become confident with using an AED. With the Silver package, you’ll receive certified on-site CPR and AED training. The Gold package gives you six hours of training to the standard of TQUK Level 3 emergency first aid at work (RFQ) which is a 3 year accredited qualification.
We also have a range of equipment tailor-made for training, including defibrillator pads, CPR manikins, training specific AEDs and conversion kits that will allow your existing defibrillator to be temporarily adapted for training purposes.
Safeguard lives today with the easiest to use AED – so simple a child can use it.
At Martek Lifecare, we are committed to making sure that you are rescue ready when it comes to Sudden cardiac Arrest, which is why we believe in life-saving products that are both easy to use and effective.
Ensure your CPR technique is perfect with Beaty, a device that helps you perform chest compressions effectively by providing audio feedback when reaching a depth of 5cm.
Speak to a member of our team today.