What can you do in the time it takes to become a hero?

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) occurs when the electrical signals that control the heart fail to function properly and, as a result, the body begins to shut down. SCA can happen to anyone at any time, and knowing what to do as a bystander in these situations can mean the difference between life and death for the victim. It’s crucial that you act quickly, because each minute that passes reduces the sufferer’s chance of survival by 10%.

You will only have a short amount of time to contact emergency services, perform to CPR, and to locate then use an automatic external defibrillator (AED). Effective CPR and defibrillation in the first three to five minutes will increase the victim’s chance of survival from 6% to 74%.

To put things into perspective, here are a few things that you can do in the time that it takes to save a life.

Make a cup of tea: It takes two to five minutes to make a cup of tea, so depending on how strong you like your brew, you could potentially save a life in that time.

Boil an egg: In the time that it takes to hard-boil an egg, an SCA victim’s chances of survival would decrease dramatically if not treated. But in the time it takes to soft-boil, their chances of survival would be significantly higher if they were treated.

Brush your teeth: Dentists recommend that you brush your teeth for two minutes, which means you could’ve brushed your teeth in the time that it takes to start saving a life.

Read an article: It takes a few minutes to read and take in information (just like you’re doing now!), so in the time it takes you to get to the end of this, you could’ve potentially saved the life of an SCA victim.

Listen to a song: Song lengths vary, although most fall between three and five minutes long. “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees is four minutes and 45 seconds – and it also provides the perfect rhythm to perform hands-only CPR to.

Buy something online: Next time you’re buying something online from your favourite clothes retailer, remember that in the few minutes that you add an item to your basket and process the payment, you could’ve used effective CPR and defibrillation to save a life.

Listen to a TED Talk: If you’re the type of person who spends your lunch-breaks in work listening to the short-but-inspirational TED Talks, keep in mind that those five-minute videos run for the same amount of time that you would have to save someone’s life.

Do some brief exercise: Some specialists recommend that short five-minute bursts of exercise can improve your physical health (including that of your heart).

Change the oil in your car: There are a few maintenance tasks that we do all the time that don’t take too long to complete, and in the few minutes that it would take to change the oil in your car, you could massively increase the chance of survival for an SCA victim if presented with the opportunity.

Knowing How to Act Can Save a Life

SCA can happen anywhere, and it doesn’t take long for it to become a fatal incident. The ambulance service will respond to an SCA as quickly as possible, but their average response time in urban areas is 11 minutes, which doesn’t provide enough time to save the victim. Because of this, a bystander’s response can mean the difference between life and death, and knowing how fast you have to act could potentially save a life.

Life-saving defibrillators come in different shapes and sizes, so whether you're managing a small community centre or a large-scale business, there will be a model for you.

defibshop are committed to equipping everyone with the skills and knowledge to save a life. Speak to one of our Product Specialists on 0161 776 7422 or fill out our Contact Form.

Image by Jan Vašek from Pixabay.