This Valentine’s Day, the IW NHS Ambulance Service is seeking to remind everyone of the importance of learning Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and how to use public defibrillators, so they have the skills to help restart a heart.
Survival rates from cardiac arrest which happen outside hospital remain worryingly low in the UK, with fewer than one in ten people surviving – we have an opportunity to greatly improve if we take the time to learn about CPR.
Islander Gwen, the wife of a cardiac survivor, bravely shares her story about how Valentines Day 2023 could have left her broken hearted if it wasn’t for early CPR intervention:
“I didn’t get a Valentine’s card last year. The only heart to feature on the day was my husband Bob’s broken one, as he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at our home in Ryde in the early hours, and he died on the hall floor in front of me.
“It came completely out of the blue.
"My 999 call was answered by an angel-in-disguise from the IOW Ambulance call centre who proceeded to ask me the most important things about what was happening, keeping me calm and giving me a crash course in CPR - without being able show me what to do!
"Her expert guidance meant I was able to bring Bob back and keep him alive with chest compressions while awaiting paramedic support. No mean feat for an unfit 65-year-old!"
Louise Walker, Ambulance Education Training and Engagement Lead, added:
“Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any age, at any time; having people around you that can recognise what is happening, who can call 999 for help and are able to perform CPR really can mean the difference between life and death.
“CPR and early access to a defibrillator increases someone’s chance of survival greatly, we urge anyone who has a defibrillator to register it with us via The Circuit and ask everyone to take a few minutes to learn CPR, as maybe one day it will save a life.”
Learning CPR is something everyone can do, if you are interested in learning, please visit these following websites:
CPR | Resuscitation Council UK
Defibrillation | Resuscitation Council UK
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