Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)

Suppose you have a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and it happens outside of a hospital environment.

In that case, they say you have a less than 1 in 10 chance of surviving, according to the UK Resuscitation Council.

The ambulance service attends to around 30,000 cases each year in England alone, and that’s just England, so by adding Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, it will be significantly higher.

In the past year, we have witnessed a notable increase in the number of people interested in learning CPR and how to use an AED (defibrillator) safely and effectively.

Knowing how to use these tools can significantly improve a person’s chances of survival during a heart attack, especially within the critical minutes after the event.

Many businesses have bought AEDs for use on their business sites, and they, too, initially had their doubts about having them. We share this in another blog we wrote, AED and Business.

What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

In most cases of Sudden Cardiac Arrest, an abnormality in the heart’s electrical rhythm causes ventricular fibrillation.

This occurs when the electrical impulses that normally regulate a natural heart rhythm become chaotic and uncoordinated, causing the heart to stop beating properly and blood circulation to cease.

To survive, responders must carry out defibrillation within the first few minutes of the incident occurring.

Defibrillation uses a high-energy shock to stop the chaotic heart rhythm and restore a normal heart rhythm, which in turn restores circulation.

Chain of Survival

Once a Serious Cardiac Arrest is recognised, call for an ambulance immediately.

Then, start CPR and use a defibrillator if one is available.

When the ambulance crew arrives, transfer care to them to ensure advanced medical treatment and the best possible outcome.

Call 999 to get help.
Start CPR.
Start defibrillation.
Early advanced care.

Change in the Law

In 2018, the first reading of The Defibrillators Availability Bill took place, and it not only recognises the requirement for public defibrillators (AEDs) in public places but also legislates for awareness and training too.

Since September 2020, this has become a mandatory topic on the National Curriculum in England for youngsters to have learned how to perform CPR and use a defibrillator by the time they leave secondary education.

We have certainly had more teachers on our courses over the past five years, and we feel this is to meet the new requirements in the curriculum.

AEDs are becoming more commonplace in public areas.

If someone experiencing Sudden Cardiac Arrest receives an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) within the first three minutes, their chance of survival is approximately 70%.

However, as each minute passes without access to an AED, experts believe the survival rate drops by about 10%.

Doing CPR will buy that person some valuable time whilst an AED, if one is available, arrives at the scene.

You can see why having an AED makes a significant difference to someone who requires it to restore a normal heart rhythm.

In the UK, AEDs (automated external defibrillators) are becoming increasingly commonplace in public areas.

They keep these in slightly heated cabinets to protect them from the elements, especially during the winter months.

These cabinets will protect the lithium battery from degrading too quickly due to the cold; they are kept at around 5ºC.

These are fitted into lockable cabinets to prevent theft and tampering.

Public AEDs are listed in a database, allowing ambulance control to inform you of the nearest location and will also provide the key lock code so you can retrieve it once you arrive.

Are AEDs simple to use?

AEDs enable any member of the public to use them safely while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

There are many misconceptions that they can cause more harm than good, and as a result, a reluctance to use them sets in.

When in reality using an AED and performing CPR on a casualty, the likelihood of causing harm is minimal indeed.

People hesitate to use an AED to resuscitate someone suspected of having a Sudden Cardiac Arrest because they worry that a legal claim could arise, suggesting their attempts to help caused harm to the person.

To date, there have been no reported claims to this effect; however, this still does not allay the fears of the rescuer.

How fast do you need to use an AED?

Using an AED within the first 3 minutes of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest increases a person’s survival rate to around 70%. However, this rate decreases by approximately 10% for every minute that defibrillation is delayed.

Very rarely do the emergency services attend quickly enough to perform defibrillation, hence the staggering death rate of around 30,000 people a year in England alone.

Therefore, if a member of the public uses an AED promptly, it could save someone’s life.

AEDs have improved substantially since their introduction in public places, and they are highly reliable, ensuring that they will not shock if not required.

Once switched on, the AED will guide the rescuer through the setup procedure and use via voice prompts.

Where can you learn how to use an AED?

All work-based first aid training courses have mandatory training on using an AED since 2016; also, many providers have standalone courses on how to use an AED, too.

We have one AED trainer per person on our first aid courses, and our learners learn how to use them safely, as well as how to perform simple fault-finding with an AED.

Warwickshire First Training has included AED (Defibrillator) training as standard on all our first aid courses since 2016, as it can make a significant difference in the event of a serious cardiac arrest.

Conclusion.

With over 30,000 lives lost in England alone each year with Sudden Cardiac Arrest, an AED can make all the difference to someone who is having an awful day.

You don’t need any professional training to use an AED, as anyone can operate one.

You could make that difference.

Wouldn’t you like someone to give you every chance of survival if it were you who was having a bad day?