Published on 17th January 2019
The thought of experiencing or encountering a cardiac arrest in public space is daunting.
Did you know that 10.4% of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests recorded happened in a public place? This equates to 27 per day. A staggering figure, especially when you consider that only 1 in 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest survive.
Thanks to high profile campaigns, there’s growing awareness about the issue and it’s increasingly common to find AEDs in schools, sports venues, tourist locations and workplaces – anywhere there’s a gathering of people.
AEDs are saving lives but transport is an important and often overlooked area of concern. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) can strike anyone, anywhere at any time regardless of age or level of fitness and travelling comes with many additional risks. Confined spaces, crowds of people, the pressure of timetables, unexpected delays and a hot and stuffy atmosphere with no temperature control can all be complicating factors for a sudden cardiac arrest in public.
It may also be much more difficult for emergency services to reach you when you’re travelling. If you suffer a cardiac arrest, your chances of survival drop by 20% every minute without treatment so it’s vital that you have quick access to life-saving equipment
Sir Ranulph Fiennes famously suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on board a plane. Fortunately, the plane was still waiting on the tarmac at the time: ‘I was extremely lucky that a mobile defibrillator unit and the expert assistance of the Blue Watch of the Bristol Airport Fire Station were immediately on the scene.’ If the plane had been in the air, he may not have been so lucky.
Last year, there were over 1.7 billion rail journeys in Britain alone. Therefore, it was inevitable that there were numerous sudden cardiac arrests in public transport incidents like the ones in Kent, Croydon and Bristol.
In Australia, a survey conducted in New South Wales concluded that 77% of people wanted AEDs to be made mandatory on public transport. While they are not currently compulsory, many transport systems have already taken the initiative. The Massachusetts Bay Railroad Company equipped its entire fleet way back in 2009, Virgin trains installed AEDs on all its Pendolino trains in 2014 and a taxi driver in Nottingham bought a defibrillator using his own money to make sure his passengers were safe. ‘I hope I never have to use it but it’s nice to know it’s there,’ he said.
Lifecare offers a tailor-made package for trains and transport that provides you with everything you need to save someone’s life when sudden cardiac arrest in public strikes. Our AED is proven to be the easiest to use on the market and has a 7-year battery life – the longest on the market – along with an 8-year warranty. Weighing just 1.9kg, it’s also lightweight and simple to transport to a victim in an emergency.
The package includes:
If you’d like to find out more about our transport package or how we can help passengers in the event of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest, please contact us.