Defibrillators for Local Schools

In conjunction with the Rotary Club of Apeldoorn 't Loo in the Netherlands we are ensuring that each High School in the area is equipped with at least two defibrillators. One will be situated next to the sports facilities and one will be accessible by the public.

This continues a historical trend in the Club following donations of defibrillators to the Scottish Ambulance Service and to The Falkirk Wheel.

In the event of a 999 call reporting a Cardiac arrest the operator will give to the caller the address of the nearest Defib. along with a numeric key to open the box. The defib. Can then be removed and transported to the stricken patient.

For every minute it takes for the defibrillator to reach someone and deliver a shock, their chances of survival reduce by up to 10%.

Ventricular fibrillation (VF) could be returned to normal sinus rhythm in 60% of cardiac arrest patients treated with a single shock from a monophasic defibrillator. Most biphasic defibrillators have a first shock success rate of greater than 90%.

Survival from cardiac arrest doubled when a bystander stepped in to apply an automated external defibrillator (AED) before emergency responders arrived, according to new research.