A defibrillator, or AED (Automated External Defibrillator) gives a high energy electric shock to someone who is in cardiac arrest. During sudden cardiac arrest, the electrical impulses that cause the heart to beat regularly start to discharge chaotically, causing an irregular heartbeat. Victims of a sudden cardiac arrest will stop breathing and become unresponsive. A defibrillator applies a brief pulse of electrical current to the heart. This allows the hearts normal electrical system to resume control.
Survival rates decrease at a rapid speed of 10% per minute, so after 10 minutes that is 0%!
National ambulance response target time expects ambulances to reach a patient in eight minutes 75% of the time. Across our four centres this response time ranges from 44-74%.
Please help us to help others when its time that counts.
* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.
