Cardiac Science Launches New Defibrillator For Schools
Thousands of school children will learn about the role of a defibrillator in saving lives next year under the latest government plans for health education.
From 2020 pupils in secondary schools will be taught basic life-saving skills and first aid, including how to administer CPR, the purpose of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and basic first aid treatments for common injuries.
It is a landmark result for those who have long campaigned for school children to be given the opportunity to learn these important skills and looks set to improve the odds of survival for countless people who have a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in the future.
Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, commented that learning the basic skills of first aid and techniques like CPR and being introduced to the workings of a defibrillator will give young people the confidence to know that they can step in to help someone else in need and in the most extreme cases – it could potentially save a life.
Every year there are around 30,000 out of hospital sudden cardiac arrests across the UK, but, sadly, less than 1 in 10 survive. According to the UK Resuscitation Council, 270 children a year die from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome in school.
Having a defibrillator nearby can increase the chance of surviving by up to 90%.
Shaun Ingram, Managing Director of Cardiac Science, said that getting defibrillators into public places is only half the battle.
He commented: “Encouraging a new generation of youngsters to recognise what a defibrillator is and feel comfortable using it – and knowing how to administer CPR – will make a massive difference. We welcome the plans to push a life-saving agenda in schools which will also help raise awareness Once young people start to drive the message home we will make great progress I am sure. These are literally skills for life that they will be learning.”
Schools and councils getting ahead of the curve
Two years ago Ealing became the first council in London to ensure that all its schools had access to defibrillators provided by Cardiac Science. 
Defibrillators were given to 91 schools in the Borough free-of-charge through joint funding from Labour Councillor’s ward forum budgets and the Leader’s Fund.
Training on the devices was also provided to staff members and pupils, although, defibrillators are designed to be used by anyone regardless of training or first aid experience. The training also included basic CPR, which is vital to increase survival chances alongside and/or before a defibrillator can be brought to the scene.
What does CPR do in those crucial early moments?
During a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a person’s heart stops pumping blood around the body and brain. Without CPR the person will die within minutes.
CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is an emergency procedure of manual chest compressions and rescue breaths, performed to help save a person’s life who is in sudden cardiac arrest. If you want to know more about how to perform CPR, including how to give CPR to a child, go to https://www.cardiacscience.co.uk/how-to-perform-cpr/
When a person is in sudden cardiac arrest, their heart can’t pump blood to the vital organs and the rest of the body. If the person doesn’t receive help immediately they will die within minutes. By performing chest compressions and rescue breaths, you are taking over the role of their heart and lungs, pumping blood and oxygen to their vital organs.
Every second counts, because a delay quickly reduces a person’s chance of survival. A delay can also lead to permanent damage to the person’s brain if they do survive.
The importance of a defibrillator for schools
It is imperative to perform CPR on a person in sudden cardiac arrest, however CPR alone cannot restore the heart’s normal electrical function. Defibrillation within the first few minutes of an SCA is vital to give the patient the best chance of survival.
That’s why Cardiac Science specialises in developing and distributing innovative defibrillators, training devices, and related services throughout the world. With the right defibrillator on hand anyone can help save a life.
Cardiac Science have had a range of Powerheart®defibrillators aimed at the schools market for many years and have taken the opportunity to introduce a new generation version of the popular G3 model.
The Powerheart®G3 Elite AED is an affordable option for schools; featuring modern circuitry as well as the industry-leading technology you would expect from the Powerheart®brand.
The G3 Elite is simple to use, providing clear, user-paced voice and text prompts to rescuers of any skill level. Prompts only advance after successful completion of each critical step.
Powerheart® AEDs use non-polarised defibrillation pads for quick placement on either side of the patient’s chest.The fully automated version of the device delivers the shock automatically to the patient.
Using proven and unique Rescue Ready®technology the device conducts self-tests every day that ensure electrodes and battery are both present and functional so it is ready to rescue 365 days a year. Many other defibrillators test as infrequently as once a week.
The highly visible Rescue Ready® indicator makes it easy to determine the Powerheart® G3 Elite’s status at a glance. If your device detects a self-test error, the indicator turns from green to red and is accompanied by alert tones to indicate attention is required.
The device uses STAR® biphasic to provide an effective shock – a patented technology proven in successful rescues across the world. STAR® biphasic technology measures the impedance of the patient – as everyone’s is different – in order to deliver a tailored shock. Powerheart® AEDs employ variable escalating energy, if a subsequent shock is required the device will escalate the energy to deliver a higher dose of therapy to the patient.
With a comprehensive indemnification policy covering anyone using a Powerheart®defibrillator, Cardiac Science always protects those who are willing to rescue others.
The G3 Elite comes with a seven-year warranty and a four-year, operational replacement guarantee on the Intellisense® battery*.
Better awareness of life-saving skills can’t come soon enough
With many of us in the UK possessing little or no life-saving skills, better awareness and understanding around SCAs can’t come soon enough.
The University of Warwick Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Outcome (OHCAO) Registry’s October 2018 survey recently revealed that nearly a third of UK adults (30%) wouldn’t perform CPR if they saw someone suffer an SCA.
Despite 96% of those surveyed saying they were likely to call an ambulance if they witnessed someone collapse and stop breathing, this often isn’t enough to save a life.
In the UK, the average ambulance response time is 8 minutes. However, an SCA sufferer’s chance of survival decreases by 10% with every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation.
With more education around the subject, especially at a young age, confidence to perform life-saving practices can only improve.
Damian Hinds, Education Secretary, commented: “Learning the basic skills of first aid and techniques like CPR will give young people the confidence to know that they can step in to help someone else in need, and in the most extreme cases it could potentially save a life.
“Introducing CPR lessons into health education in all state-funded secondary schools is a significant step that promises to improve the odds of survival for many more people who have an SCA in the future.”
*The G3 Elite’s automatic self-testing detects when the battery is nearing end of life and signals an alert while the unit still retains enough energy to perform a rescue.
For more information on the new Powerheart® G3 Elite, please contact our friendly team on 0161 926 0000 or fill in the form here.
