16 year old boy suffers cardiac arrest during exam

A teenager from West Sussex has been placed in a medically induced coma after suffering a cardiac arrest during an exam at college.

16 year old Joshua Efford collapsed at his desk during a GCSE exam at Uckfield Community Technology College and was rushed to hospital by the South East Coast Ambulance Service.

A cardiac arrest occurs when the heart begins to beat irregularly, causing blood to stop circulating around the body to key organs. A cardiac arrest can affect anyone and at anytime with little warning signs in terms of symptoms.

If treatment is not provided immediately following a cardiac event, survival chances decrease rapidly at a rate of approximately 10% per minute.

If CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is performed and a defibrillator is used within 3-5 minutes of the cardiac arrest, survival chances increase from 6% to 74%.

Chances increase to 90% if treatment is administered to the patient within 60 seconds.

270 children die in schools every year in the UK due to a sudden cardiac arrest, and unfortunately at the present time it is not a government requirement for all public buildings to have a defibrillator present.

However the Department for Education has encouraged all schools to install a defibrillator in an effort to protect pupils and teachers alike saying ‘Modern AEDs are inexpensive, simple to operate and safe for users’.

Young people and children in particular, are susceptible to a cardiac arrest due to the heart muscle being young and still growing – much like the person themselves.

During the growing years, the chest wall is soft and any bumps, bangs and collisions can disrupt the heart and, albeit in a very small amount of cases, can cause a cardiac arrest to occur.

Paula Leech, defibshop Senior Sales Manager said: “It’s great to hear that Joshua is doing okay in hospital and is in a stable condition following his cardiac arrest.

‘It happens all too often that children are suffering from a cardiac arrest in school and whilst the Department for Education are actively encouraging schools to have defibrillators on site, bringing in legislation that states it is the law to have a defibrillator in all public buildings is the logical next step.

‘When this happens, we as a country will be as prepared as we can be when it comes to helping save someone who suffers a cardiac arrest.”

If you would like to learn more about cardiac arrest, defibrillators, defibshop and everything in between – head to our YouTube channel where you can find a whole host of information-packed videos.

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