Facts and Figures
- Four times more women die as a result of a heart attack than they do from breast cancer.
- For every minute that goes by, a victim's chance of surviving a Sudden Cardiac Arrest drops 7-10%.
- 70% of cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital environment.
- About 95% of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital.
- Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double a victim's chance of survival.
- Seven out of ten cardiac arrests occur outside of hospital, and currently in the UK, only 2-3% of these people survive.
- Around 270,000 people suffer a heart attack in the UK each year, about a third of whom die before reaching hospital due to cardiac arrest.
- The Department of Health has a target of placing 3,000 new defibrillators in public places in England.
- Explorer Sir Ralph Fiennes is alive today largely thanks to a defibrillator placed at Bristol airport.
- Passive smoking increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease by up to 30%.
- Early defibrillation can triple a victims chance of survival.
Colin Elding, medical spokesman for the British Heart Foundation, said: "Modern defibrillators are becoming increasingly quick and easy for the lay person to use, which can mean the difference between life and death. Every second counts when someone's heart goes into cardiac arrest. An electric shock needs to be delivered to the chest as quickly as possible to restore the person's heart to a normal rhythm."