The 3-Minute Window: Why one defib isn’t always enough
Cardiac Arrest is among the biggest killers of people in the UK, with over 100,000 people suffering an Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest every year. Currently, less than 1 in 10 of these will survive.
Someone in cardiac arrest isn’t breathing and their heart isn’t beating effectively, they will be dead within minutes without treatment. The only thing that can effectively restart the heart during a cardiac arrest is a shock from a defibrillator.
Golf Courses
While golf isn’t thought of as a particularly physically exerting sport, hundreds of people will statistically suffer a cardiac arrest while out on a golf course each year in the UK.
While many courses now have a defibrillator in their club house, but with the average golf course stretching over 100 acres – this simply might not be close enough.
Guidance from the British Standards Institute states that an AED should be within two minutes of any location on the premises. For treatment to be most effective, CPR must be started immediately and a shock delivered within 3 to 5 minutes of collapse.
Schools
While all state funded schools were supplied with a defibrillator in 2022/2023, for many schools one defibrillator across the entire premises will not be enough to protect all pupils and staff effectively.
With many secondary schools spread across multiple buildings, and up to 1000 pupils, more than one defibrillator is necessary to reduce any delay to treatment and give anyone who suffers a cardiac arrest on the premises the best chance of survival.
Office Blocks / Business Parks
A single defibrillator on the ground floor of a multi storey office building would likely be too far away, should someone suffer a cardiac arrest on the tenth floor. If a defibrillator shock is not delivered within 4 minutes of collapse, the chances of survival with a positive outcome begin to fall rapidly.
The British Heart Foundation recommends that businesses in buildings spanning multiple floors should ideally have a defibrillator on each storey to keep the retrieval of the AED within 4 minutes.
Training
Just as important as having sufficient equipment on site, is ensuring that your team has the confidence and the knowledge to act decisively in a situation where a cardiac arrest is suspected. Immediate CPR is needed while the defibrillator is being retrieved, and completing a fully accredited First Aid at Work course gives the confidence to take action should someone suffer a cardiac arrest.
Defib Warehouse offers several accredited courses designed to give anyone the skills and confidence to respond to a medical emergency, in partnership with our sister company Imperative Training:
Protection for premises of all sizes
Defib Warehouse can offer defibrillator solutions for organisations of all sizes, whether it be advice, replacement consumables, training, or complete defibrillator packages including Defibrillators, Storage and Signage.
Contact our team at sales@defibwarehouse.co.uk or call 0330 043 5818 to see how we can support you.
