Calling All Sports Clubs - Defibrillators Save Lives

Calling all Sports Clubs - Defibrillators Save Lives

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is hosting two information sessions for sports clubs and leagues regarding the importance of defibrillators. The sessions which will be delivered by the Cormac Trust will be held as follows:

Thursday 9 June 2016
7.30 pm
Newry Leisure Centre

Tuesday 14 June 2016
7.30 pm
Ballymote Leisure Centre, Downpatrick

Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. There are approximately 100,000 sudden cardiac deaths each year in the UK and approximately 6,000 each year in Ireland. The majority of victims have no warning as they have no prior symptoms. During sudden cardiac arrest the heart abruptly stops pumping usually due to an electrical malfunction called ventricular fibrillation. The victim collapses, stops breathing and quickly loses consciousness due to a lack of blood flow and oxygen to the brain. Death quickly ensues unless a normal heart rhythm can be restored within a few minutes. Once ventricular fibrillation has developed, time is the most crucial factor that determines the chances of successful resuscitation.

The only effective treatment for ventricular fibrillation is defibrillation, a term used to describe the application of a high energy electric shock to the chest of the victim in an attempt to restart the heart. Unfortunately, most people in the UK and Ireland live and work in places where it takes considerably more than 5 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. Add to this the time required to call for help, to reach the individual, to assess the situation and deliver the first shock, and it soon becomes clear why today less than 5% of victims survive sudden cardiac arrest outside hospital. During ventricular fibrillation, every minute counts. It has been estimated that for every minute that goes by without defibrillation, the chance of survival decreases by about 10%. Conversely, studies have shown that survival rates as high as 74% can be achieved if defibrillation is given within 3 minutes.

Until recently, the act of defibrillation required considerable skill and training and was largely restricted to medical and specialist nursing staff. However, the recent introduction of the automated external defibrillator (AED) has meant the average citizen, following a brief period of training, should be able to easily perform defibrillation. Indeed, a report has shown that bystanders with no defibrillator training have been able to use an AED in actual cardiac arrest situations.