Why a defibrillator should be your New Year resolution
It’s that time of year again (the beginning) where we all look to a New Year resolution to inspire us to change our ways, be healthier or come up with a 12 month mission to have jumped off a cliff (attached to a bungee of course).
But instead of thinking of something ridiculous/outrageous like a bungee jump (which we would guess a good proportion of you would never actually go ahead with), why not make it your New Year’s resolution to protect your heart, both inside and out?
This goal incorporates more than one objective and allows you to look after your body’s most vital organ, keep you fit, strong and healthy whilst the acquisition of a defibrillator ensures that your heart is as protected as it can be against sudden cardiac arrest.
Deciding to go to the gym more often is great, exercise should be part of your staple daily life and the inclusion of at least 30 minutes of exercise a day ensures that you are keeping your body in good working order.
Eating a balanced diet enables your body to find the right amount of nutrients and vitamins to keep your body working well, organs healthy, and keeps your immune system at its optimum level in an effort to fight off any nasty winter illnesses which are no doubt floating around at this time of the year.
But having a defibrillator at work, home, leisure centre, shopping centre, sports venue etc enables you and the people around you to be the most protected you can be against sudden cardiac arrest.
Cardiac arrest can, unfortunately, affect everyone and anyone – no matter of age, gender, lifestyle, ethnicity or fitness level. It is an electrical condition which affects the heart and results in much needed oxygenated blood not being delivered to your vital organs as the heart muscle stops beating in its normal rhythm.
The condition can be fatal and needs to be treated immediately. The only treatment for a cardiac arrest is the use of a defibrillator and the immediate application of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), if this happens within 3-5 minutes then survival chances increase from 6% to 74%.
How does a defibrillator help? An AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is a small, lightweight device that can analyse a person’s heart rhythm and recognises irregular heart rhythms such as VT (ventricular tachycardia) and VF (ventricular fibrillation). They stop and correct any irregular heartbeats to help the heart to pump blood to the vital organs like normal.
Importantly, defibrillators are designed to be used by anyone, no matter if they have prior training or not. And even though we would recommend AED training to anyone who is looking to purchase one, they are perfectly easy to use by following the clear and concise verbal and visual instructions relayed during an emergency situation.
Without a defibrillator and the performing of CPR on a cardiac arrest patient, their survival chances decrease by approximately 10% per minute. It is vital that we deploy more defibrillators across communities up and down the UK in an effort to reduce out of hospital cardiac arrest fatalities.
So, still not made your New Year’s resolution yet? Purchasing a defibrillator could be a great, lifesaving decision and the best resolution you’ve ever made.
For more information, contact our friendly defibshop team on 0845 071 0830 and we'll help you find the right defibrillator to suit your requirements, environment and budget.
And with our January Sale now live on our website, there's no better time to get a lifesaving defibrillator at a great price with up to £800 off some AED models.
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