Good food – Bad Food? Defibrillators may be a more immediate answer. And may be free.
In a week when we have learned that red wine, 150ml/day increases our “good” cholesterol HDL, well in Diabetic patients anyway, and 150ml/day of white wine might reduce their blood sugar level, we also can read a lot about Blueberries being a super food, that will potentially also reduce cardiovascular disease. We have also seen at Copenhagen airport demonstrations of resusciation being given to children as young as 4 years who were able to follow the instructions quite simply. There is however a huge disconnect here with the major tool for heart resuscitation having been rarely available. A defibrillator. to the non-medical readers, provides a localised electric current when applied to the chest wall, that with some good luck can start a heart rhytmn going, if the heart has stopped, or altenatively correct a “bad ” heart rhytmn that is causing the heart to have a poor output of blood.
Defibrillators are cheap. In New York one finds them alll over walls of even sma cafes, and in UK , many years ago, Brighton football club became the first football club to have them in the ground for potential resuscitation of spectators. They are visible at some airports too like Arlands airport in Stockholm. They are cheap costing as little as 792£ online and require surprisingly little formal training from
If we take a look at the British Heart foundation website, this is what they say:
About defibrillators
DefibrillatorsA high energy electric shock, given to the heart in some types of cardiac arrest, may restore a more stable rhythm.
This is called defibrillation, and it’s an essential lifesaving step in the chain of survival.
Public access defibrillators (PADs) can be found in public spaces like your local shopping centre, gym, train station or village hall. That briefcase-sized box on the wall contains a PAD. It’s there for anyone to use on someone in cardiac arrest.
Simple to use
They are simple and safe. The machine gives clear spoken instructions. You don’t need training to use one.
Once in position, the defibrillator detects the heart’s rhythm. It won’t deliver a shock unless one is needed.
The good news is that they are becoming more widely available and many organisations can apply for one and this is how to do it:
The Department of Health has awarded us £1 million to make public access defibrillators and CPR training more widely available in communities across England.
Applications open on Thursday 1 October 2015 and close in March 2016.
The packages
There are three packages available:
A free public access defibrillator, CPR training kit and a cabinet
A free public access defibrillator and CPR training kit
A cabinet to improve accessibility to a current defibrillator
chris1957
Arcticterntalk.org 