New life saving defibrillator installed

A Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) has been fitted on the wall outside Sight Support Hull and East Yorkshire’s centre on Beverley Road in Hull with a view to help save the life of anyone experiencing a cardiac arrest in the vicinity.

The latest installation has been made possible thanks to a grant from the Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation.

Automated External Defibrillators (AED) are designed to be used by anyone in an emergency when someone suffers a cardiac arrest. Public access defibrillators are available at a number of locations locally 24 hours a day, seven days a week with the majority located on the external walls of buildings.

Sandra Ackroyd, Chief Executive at Sight Support said: “Should someone have a cardiac arrest, calling 999 is crucial to get professional help on the way, and the ambulance service call handler will be able to let you know if there is a defibrillator nearby and the code if it is in a locked cabinet.

“For every minute that passes without early CPR and defibrillation, there is a 10 per cent drop in chances of survival. The sooner CPR and a defibrillator are used, the more effective medical staff can be when they arrive.

“Defibrillators use a series of voice prompts and illustrations to give step-by-step guidance. It is impossible to give a shock to the heart of someone who does not need one.”

“We of course hope that the defibrillator is never needed, but it’s great to know that the community near our centre are now going to be more able to deal with a sudden cardiac arrest should they ever have to.”