(2) The 'fibs & vibes" around AEDs (Automated External Defibrillator)

Paramedics will always be there before I need to use it! 

Sadly this is unlikely as our emergency services are hugely overstretched and it is highly unlikely they would ever be with you within 3 minutes. We give the average arrival time from an ambulance of 8 minutes, but this obviously depends on the location of the casualty, how busy the emergency services are at that point and when the 999 call was made.

You have to be medically trained to use them! 

Wrong! Using a defib is simple and the machine talks you through every step. They are available for use by the general public. A defibrillator works best together with CPR and ideally you would have received training in how to give the best CPR as this will make a huge difference and gives casualties the best possible chance of survival. Using the defib is simple.

You are jump starting the heart! – Another myth. You are not jump starting the heart. Quite the reverse, you are stopping the quivering of the heart to allow it to return it to normal sinus rhythm. Speed is of the essence – research has shown that the chances of survival for an out of hospital (community) cardiac arrest are only about 6%. If you can get the pads onto the patient’s chest within 3 minutes and they are in a shockable rhythm, the chances of survival jump to 74%. This drops by 10% for every minute’s delay in using the machine.

You could make things worse! 

You cannot use a defibrillator if the casualty does not need it! It will not let you – so apply the pads, switch on the machine, you simply can’t do anything wrong. If someone is unconscious and not breathing, if you don’t do anything they are dead.

A Defibrillator will always bring them back to life! – Sadly this is not the case. There are many reasons why someone may experience a sudden cardiac arrest and it is not possible to resuscitate everyone. However, good quality CPR, prompt use of a defibrillator and swift transfer to professional medical care, will give them the best possible chance.

Defibrillators are complicated!  

Defibs couldn’t be much easier! The moment you open up the AED, it starts to speak to you and takes you step by step through what you need to do to help save someone’s life. They are now available in so many public places and are easily accessible for the general public to grab and use as quickly as possible in a medical emergency.

It is no longer recommended to give breaths

WRONG, the UK Resuscitation Council still recommend breaths, along with compressions to give someone the optimum chance of survival. This is even more important with babies and children, who should ideally receive 5 rescue breaths before the compressions.

#becauseitsaveslives #fab #firstaid