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According to First Aid for Life, cardiac arrests can affect anyone at any time. It’s reckoned that across the UK 30,000 occur outside of hospitals each year and that fewer than 10 percent of those experiencing cardiac arrests in the community survive.

But with fast emergency treatment the chances of survival shoot up by around 80 percent.

CPR – chest compressions that may keep someone alive until emergency help arrives – can double the chances of survival. But when a defibrillator – a device to restart the heart – is used alongside CPR, the odds of survival can jump from around 6 percent to 74 percent. As the British Heart Foundation notes, “after a cardiac arrest, every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces someone’s chance of survival by 10 percent.”

There are four defibrillators around the parish. They’re located prominently at Kingston Blount Village Hall, Aston Rowant Cricket Club, Aston Rowant CE School and on the bend by Aston Rowant church. There’s also a unit inside the Lambert Arms Hotel. (Note: this unit may not be accessible during unsociable hours; so, depending on when an incident occurs, the hotel may not be the best to place to go to).

It is hoped that the parish will soon have another unit for the Cherry Tree area of the parish. When sourced and installed its details will be shared.

A cardiac event, when it happens, will be alarming and stressful. To ‘ease’ this, there is some basic advice below. Please read and keep it – it may save a life.

CPR

Detail on how to give CPR is at https://bit.ly/387Tkx6. The page includes ‘how to’ videos.

In summary there are five steps.

Step 1: Shake and shout – see if the individual is conscious.

Step 2: Call 999 and ask someone else to find a defibrillator. Call 999 before starting compressions.

Step 3: Give chest compressions.

Step 4: Keep giving CPR until professional help arrives and takes over, or the person starts to show signs of regaining consciousness.

Step 5: Use the defibrillator.

Using a defibrillator

Detail on using a defibrillator at https://bit.ly/3KVE57E. The page also has a ‘how to’ video.

The box housing a defibrillator can be opened with an access code given by 999. You will need the location code on the housing.

Each unit features pictures on how it should be used and will have voice instructions. In summary:

Step 1: Turn the defibrillator on by pressing the green button and follow its instructions.

Step 2: Peel off the sticky pads and attach them to the patient’s skin, one on each side of the chest, as shown in the picture on the defibrillator. Note: On a child pad placing is different and there may be button/switch on the unit that will need to be pressed. See https://bit.ly/37vmPbK.

Step 3: Once the pads have been attached, stop CPR, and don’t touch the patient. The defibrillator will then analyse the patient’s heart rhythm.

Step 4: The defibrillator will assess whether a shock is needed and if so, it will tell you to press the shock button. An automatic defibrillator will shock the patient without prompt. Do not touch the patient while they are being shocked.

Step 5: The defibrillator will tell you when the shock has been delivered and whether you need to continue CPR.

Step 6: Continue with chest compressions and rescue breaths until the patient shows signs of life or the defibrillator tells you to stop so it can analyse the heartbeat again.

THE DETAIL ABOVE IS ALL IN THE DOCUMENT BELOW.

PLEASE KEEP IT AS IT MAY SAVE A LIFE

Cllr. Adam Bernstein

07785 905120