Children and SCA; where do we go from here?

Over the past few months, the news has been littered with stories of children suffering cardiac arrests at schools, playing sports, living their day to day lives – if there was ever a time to stop and think, it’s now. It’s time for things to change.

Currently in the UK, 270 children die each year at school in the UK due to a cardiac event whilst 12 young people (under 35 years of age) die each week from a sudden cardiac arrest. These are alarming statistics given that defibrillator units are not a government requirement in public buildings, including schools.

As a comparison, fire extinguishers are a government stipulation in all public buildings, yet in 2011/12 there were only 380 fire related fatalities across the UK, the lowest figure in fifty years. 140,000 people suffer a sudden cardiac arrest in the UK per year with 70% of these occurring outside a hospital environment.

Of course the decline in the amount of fire related deaths is directly related to the government ruling that all public places need to have a extinguisher installed, but if anything, this proves to us even more that if defibrillators became a requirement, we would surely see a decline in the number of cardiac event related fatalities.

First and foremost, it’s important to recognise what we are talking about; a sudden cardiac arrest is not a heart attack. Whilst the two are closely linked and both are undoubtedly serious medical events, there are significant differences in how these conditions can occur.

The majority of heart attacks we hear about are caused by a coronary heart disease related issue which is the blocking of arteries within the body, meaning that blood flow to and from the heart is affected.

A sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is an issue which directly affects the heart and the electrical impulses which help the organ pump blood to the rest of the body. A cardiac arrest has no symptoms, cannot be predicted and can affect anyone – even the healthiest of marathon runners and sports stars (as we saw with former Premier League footballer Fabrice Muamba).

The case surrounding Fabrice Muamba is no doubt one of the highest profile cases of cardiac arrest in recent times. Muamba was, in medical terms, ‘dead’ for 78 minutes whilst the emergency services worked hard to re-start his heart with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of a defibrillator.

The emergency services shocked Muamba’s heart a massive 15 times with a defibrillator before his heart started beating normally again. Without the defibrillator, there’s little chance he survives.

If sudden cardiac arrest can affect a footballer at the highest level, there is no question that it can happen to anyone else, and unfortunately that means children too.

We were informed of a story last year regarding a pupil of the Mountbatten High School, who had previously bought a defibrillator from us along with staff training. 17 year old Sam Mangoro collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest whilst in a PE lesson but the fast actions of teachers meant that he made a full recovery after receiving lifesaving CPR and a shock from their newly purchased defibrillator from defibshop.

Children are unfortunately vulnerable to SCA due to a number of reasons which includes excessive exercise or activity. This can place extra strain on the muscle and could cause a cardiac arrest due to their hearts being in a state of development.

There is also a condition which primarily affects young children called ‘commotio cordis’ which is a condition which affects young children and can result in them suffering an SCA through a sharp blow to the chest. It is common with children as they are inherently bumping, falling over and injuring themselves during sports and games.

A defibrillator is an immensely impressive piece of equipment which seems to have gained a negative portrayal from the movies or medical equipment used in the past. The fact of the matter is a defibrillator can save lives; combined with effective CPR it is the only form of treatment for someone who has suffered an SCA whilst it cannot hurt or shock the user.

Besides being incredibly safe to use, it is so efficient that even if you’re not trained to recognise someone is suffering a cardiac arrest, it will analyse the state of the patient’s heart and advise whether an electric shock from the unit is the best course of action.

Clear audio and visual instructions are a feature of most defibrillator models, ensuring that everyone can learn how to use a defibrillator with a step by step guide through the procedure. The defibrillator will analyse the patient’s heart rhythm and if the person is suffering one of the following two states of sudden cardiac arrest it will take action;

Or

If the person is not suffering from either of these conditions, then the defibrillator will not advise shocking the patient.

Whilst having a defibrillator at your place of work, school, shopping centre and sports venue is a fantastic step in the right direction to securing the lives of the people in and around the building, speed of actions and AED training greatly benefit the rescue process.

Training is a great way to get accustomed to the unit you have purchased and a number of other defibrillators that are on the market whilst refreshing your first aid skills. Familiarity with the unit means that you will be more confident in a real life situation.

It can also help boost the speed in which the rescue process is initiated and carried out, which could make all the difference; if effective CPR is performed and a defibrillator is used within 3-5 minutes, a cardiac arrest patient’s chances of survival increase from 6% to 74%. If the process is performed within 60 seconds of the person suffering a cardiac arrest, their chances of survival hit 90%.

Over the past 12 months we have conducted a survey regarding the subject of cardiac arrest in schools and the need for more defibrillators to be installed.

76% of the people we asked said they felt that both teachers and pupils should be taught first aid and defibrillator training as a mandatory part of learning. Whilst a massive 92% of people also suggested that the government brings in a law to make it mandatory that all schools have a defibrillator on site.

This year the Department for Education has advised that all schools consider purchasing a defibrillator as part of their first aid equipment, stating the units are ‘easy to use, inexpensive and safe’. We firmly believe that now is the time for all public places to have a defibrillator installed, especially schools.

Planning on purchasing a life saving defibrillator? defibshop can offer friendly impartial advice on which units will be best for your environment. After all, there are so many on the market and it can get quite confusing, our team will assist you in making sure you have the right equipment for when it matters most. Head to our website www.defibshop.co.uk or call us on Freephone 0800 470 4847 for more information.