Save a Life in 5 Minutes

At Heathrow airport all you need now is 5 minutes to learn how to save a life. I saw this video on the BBC News website and thought it was a great initiative by the London Ambulance Service which could probably be rolled out to a greater number of people. In particular, I thought that it was a good idea including a demonstration of using a defibrillator. It seems that there's still a widespread opinion amongst the lay public that the 'old-school' paddle set-up and the whole 'clear' then 'shock' method as performed on TV is still being used.

Using a defibrillator is something which anyone who can do. It's really not that hard. A lot of busy places now have defibrillators available but there may still be people who are not trained how to use them. CPR and chest compressions is all about buying time, but really if a patient has a shockable rhythm, then access to a defibrillator as fast as possible is what is required. It was interesting talking to Helen Brady this week, who runs the Heartstart in Dundee, that defibrillators have now been included in Heartstart training videos shown at teaching sessions. The defibrillator has simple diagrams, instructions and a voice to tell the user how to use it. I'll put my hand up and say that I have not been needed to use one in a 'real-life' situation, but having done some training and used the defibrillator in a mock set-up, I would certainly feel confident about using one in a life-saving situation.