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Law Firm Responds to Cardiac Arrest
The British Heart Foundation highlighted some alarming figures and affirmed countrywide statistics. They say 60,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur each year in the UK.
AED USE: That means 7 people go into life threatening cardiac arrest every hour.
Time is critical when a person suffers sudden cardiac.
For each minute without CPR and prompt defibrillator use, the likelihood of successful recovery diminishes by 10%.
A leading Scottish law firm in Aberdeen responded to the vital importance of emergency care and first aid at work.
They purchased an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
The office lawyers also received sanctioned training in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
AEDs are not commonplace in the North-east of Scotland. But the Aberdeen law practice now has an AED installed and available on-site in the workplace.
Workplace AED Use
Early and efficient use of a portable AED is extremely successful (around 65%). It is an immediate treatment for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
The staff learned how lay rescuers should respond to serious life threatening situations. Typical workplace health care issues include chest pains, strokes, and heart attacks.
The British Red Cross (BRC) trained the law firm's employees. They got to learn the most critical aspects of emergency care and first aid.
The tuition included how to treat allergic reactions, conscious choking, and epileptic seizures.
A spokesperson for the lawyers said most of the public have no training in the United Kingdom. The average layperson is often too scared to administer CPR.
There were apprehensions before the AED training. Staff said they had concerns about determining whether a person in cardiac arrest is breathing 'normally' or not. They were unsure about cracking rib bones by pressing too hard during CPR.
Lawyers Provided Positive Feedback
The workers at the Scottish law firm provided very positive feedback. They felt more confident after the AED training and workplace first aid course.
They advocated the need for first aiders at work to learn how to respond in an emergency. Rescuer confidence comes from developing a comprehensive set of life saving practical skills. Not to mention the knowledge of knowing what to do when the unfortunate happens.
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Law Firm Responds with AED to Workplace Cardiac Arrest in the United Kingdom
Article First Published 2014