Tag: Restart a Heart Day

Woman reunited with SAS emergency responder who saved her life

A woman who had a cardiac arrest in the Botanic Gardens has been reunited with one of the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) staff members who saved her life.

Jeanne Reilly, of Berkshire, recently returned to Edinburgh with family and friends to attend the unveiling of a new defibrillator installed at the same location where she collapsed on July 30 last year.

Her friend Jane Wood, who was with Jeanne when she went into arrest, instigated the efforts to have the defibrillator installed, and raised £2086 through family and friends.

A retired GP and an off duty doctor performed CPR immediately and used a nearby defib while an emergency call was placed with the Scottish Ambulance Service, which was received by Lindsey Brady, of West Ambulance Control Centre (ACC) in Glasgow.

Aidan Colliar and Audrey Michie, of the East ACC in Edinburgh, then dispatched Nickie Crowe, on a Paramedic Response Unit, and ambulance crew Ian Harwood and Ricky Moffat, of Dalkeith Station.

They arrived within two minutes of the call being received and Jeanne was transported to hospital and “kept alive” in the ambulance on the way to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Jeanne said: “I was very pleased to see the newly installed defibrillator at the Terrace Café and it was a privilege to meet ambulance crew member Ian in person.

“We have all since spoken so fondly of the opportunity to meet together. Shiona Mackie, the retired GP, met us all again shortly after and gave us a tour of the Botanics in her capacity as a volunteer tour guide – that was special too. 

“I was thrilled that Ian had driven so quickly from the Botanics to the Hospital. Putting names to faces and filling in some gaps in my experience has given me a sense of peace.”

Speaking of the cardiac arrest, she said she was given CPR and a defibrillator was used prior to the crew arriving. She added: “They arrived very quickly and then took me to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, giving me another shock in the ambulance.

“I spent 12 days in hospital, have a stent and ICD fitted and I am on the mend to lead a normal life again. I owe my life to all involved. I have been able to thank others personally, and my family and myself send thanks and more to the crew.”

She said it was vital for people to learn CPR skills for this year’s Restart a Heart Day on Sunday.

“Had it not been for the quick thinking of everyone, I would not be back to enjoying life. The expertise of the ambulance paramedics kept me alive while I made the journey to the Edinburgh Infirmary. The medical team in ICU took over from there.

“I hope that more people are educated about where to find a defibrillator and how to use one, so that the percentage of those who survive a cardiac arrest out of hospital can increase.”

To find out more about CPR, visit the Save a Life for Scotland website at www.savealife.scot

Restart a Heart Day: RevivR free online training

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Scottish Ambulance Service launches use of life-saving app to alert those with CPR knowledge

To coincide with Restart a Heart Day 2022, the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) has rolled out the use of a life-saving app to the whole of Scotland, which can alert those with CPR knowledge to attend a nearby cardiac arrest.

Every year about 3,200 people in Scotland are treated by the Ambulance Service after having a cardiac arrest. Every second counts when someone has had a cardiac arrest and by equipping bystanders with the tools to help, through dialling 999, starting CPR and using a defibrillator, those suffering a cardiac arrest have a greater chance of survival. 

The GoodSAM smartphone app is a mechanism that allows the ambulance service to alert responders in the community to the location of someone suffering a cardiac arrest. Once alerted, and the alert is accepted, it instantly shares the location of a 999 call, to notify those who are registered with the app and are within 1000m of the incident, so that they can quickly respond to provide potentially lifesaving cardio-pulmonary life support (CPR).

SAS first began using the app in 2020 to alert off-duty ambulance service staff to a nearby out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The app has also been successfully trialled with Community Cardiac Responders in the Grampian region since 2021, and now it will be used by SAS across Scotland.

GoodSAM has been adopted by other ambulance services around the world, including ambulance services in the UK and in Australia.  There are currently 1,500,000 users worldwide and since the app was launched there have been over 3,000,000 alerts globally.

The use of the GoodSAM app is supported by The Save a Life for Scotland campaign, to help everyone living in Scotland learn how they can help save a life when someone suffers an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). They can do this by recognising there is a problem, calling 999 and starting CPR with the support of an ambulance service call handler.

Programme Lead for Out-of-Hospital-Cardiac Arrest, Steven Short, who is leading the campaign, says: “With this roll-out of the GoodSAM app, anyone who has CPR knowledge can be a life-saver. When someone is in cardiac-arrest, immediate bystander action can mean the difference between life and death.

“By alerting those who are closest, they can begin CPR while waiting for help from the ambulance service to arrive. This may mean that people from all walks of life will turn up to an incident, and with their knowledge, they can begin the CPR, vital in keeping someone alive until help arrives.”

The GoodSAM app can be downloaded from a smartphone app store by anyone with CPR knowledge, and once registered and validated, the user will be sent alert if there has been a 999 call to a cardiac arrest within 1000 metres.

Ian Hendry is a SAS Wildcat Cardiac Responder, who uses the GoodSAM app to respond to emergency calls across North East Scotland.

Ian says: “Providing the immediate care required for patients is vital should an out-of-hospital-cardiac arrest occur, and being able to arrive quickly and commence CPR is essential. Upon arrival, the technicians and paramedics will assume the lead, and we’ll focus on supporting the family or loved ones, and 2that aspect is also very rewarding.

“As a responder, it can at times be challenging depending on the situation we are faced with but we receive regular training, have the opportunity to meet other responders where we can share different scenarios and experiences, and we also have great support from the team at the Scottish Ambulance Service.

“It is humbling to witness the amazing care the SAS staff deliver to patients on a daily basis and to be able to support them in a small way is very rewarding.”

Lisa MacInnes, Director of the Save a Life for Scotland campaign said: “Our aim is to equip everyone living in Scotland with CPR and skills and help them be CPR ready, because when someone has a cardiac arrest, every second counts.

“When someone has a cardiac arrest, they need urgent help and with the launch of the GoodSAM app in Scotland, you could be that help.

“We’re asking anyone in Scotland who knows CPR to sign-up and make themselves available to this life saving service. When the minutes are so important you could be the difference in helping a stranger in need who’s just around the corner or a neighbour who needs your help.”

To find out more about the GoodSAM app rollout, refresh your CPR skill and sign up to the app, please visit the Save a Life for Scotland GoodSAM pages at savealife.scot/goodsam

Over a quarter of Scots say they would not attempt CPR to save a life

More than a quarter of adults (26%) in Scotland wouldn’t perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if they saw someone suffer a cardiac arrest, according to the latest statistics from the British Heart Foundation.

Continue reading Over a quarter of Scots say they would not attempt CPR to save a life

“World Class” figures mark Restart a Heart Day

‘World class’ results for Scotland show innovative new approaches are working

There has been a rise in the number of people who are being successfully resuscitated following a cardiac arrest in Scotland, according to new figures. Latest Scottish Ambulance Service statistics show that, on average, 66 per cent of patients suffering a witnessed cardiac arrest by ambulance crews were successfully resuscitated and alive on arrival at hospital over the last six months. Continue reading “World Class” figures mark Restart a Heart Day

We can all be lifesavers: Save a Life for Scotland CPR campaign launched

ill do it

Save a Life for Scotland, a national campaign which aims to train half a million people to carry out life-saving CPR, was launched on Friday – European Restart a Heart Day.

Save a Life for Scotland is the campaign behind Scotland’s new strategy to improve survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The aim is to train a further 500,000 people in CPR and save an additional 1,000 lives over the next five years.

The campaign was launched at an event on Princes Street organised by the Resuscitation Research Group at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

It was attended by Maureen Watt, Minister of Public Health, and representatives of the partners involved in the campaign, including Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service, Defence Medical Services, Police Scotland, St Andrew’s First Aid, British Red Cross, British Heart Foundation, Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS).

Ms Watt said: “When a person goes into cardiac arrest it means their heart has stopped completely. The only chance of saving their life is to restart the heart as soon as possible. If they aren’t in hospital the chance of a medical professional being close at hand is slim.

“That is why it’s so important that members of the public know how to do CPR and are confident enough to try it. The Scottish Government fully backs Save a Life for Scotland. Training an extra 500,000 people in this life-saving skill could save thousands of lives over the next few years.

“CPR is one of the most valuable skills anyone can have. There are many opportunities to learn, just visit savealife.scot or the Facebook page for more details.”

Dr. Gareth Clegg, NHS Lothian Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Resuscitation Research Group lead, said: “Across Scotland, around 3,500 people who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest undergo attempted resuscitation but only 1 in 20 survive to hospital discharge.

“Receiving really good CPR from a bystander before paramedics arrive can more than double chances of recovery. That is why it is crucial that more people are made aware of how and where they can access CPR training and sign up to take part. Everyone has lifesaving equipment on them – but you need to know how to use it.”

The campaign is also being backed by East Lothian father-of-two Gregor Newton, 45, who received CPR from his wife after unexpectedly collapsing at home in April last year.

Gregor said: “It was totally out of the blue. I was fit with no health issues and no health concerns and never expected I would have a cardiac arrest. My son, Harry, found me on the floor and immediately called for his mum, Judy, who was able to start CPR.

“She continued with other bystanders until a local Community First Responder made it to the scene and took over, using a defibrillator to shock my heart back into rhythm. I’m very lucky to still be here and now know how crucial it was to have this early intervention. ”

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Dave Boyle, Assistant Chief Officer and Director of Service Delivery, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is proud to be working in partnership with the British Heart Foundation in a bid to help train as many people as possible in the use of CPR across Scotland.

“This partnership is one part of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s commitment to support the Scottish Government’s Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy and Save A Life for Scotland campaign. We want to contribute to saving an extra 1000 lives in Scotland by 2020.

“We have a network of fire stations across Scotland and each of them will house a CPR kit. Members of the public are encouraged to contact their local fire officer or fire station and arrange a visit and some training. The training will empower people and give them the skills they need to deliver life-saving assistance to anyone suffering from cardiac arrest.

“We are extremely grateful to the British Heart Foundation for providing the CPR kits and we hope this initiative will save hundreds of lives in the weeks, months and years to come.”

A number of events took place all over the country on Restart a Heart Day to mark the launch of Save a Life for Scotland. These included awareness days and free training stations taking place at fire stations, ambulance stations and events hosted by St Andrew’s First Aid.

Members of the public will be encouraged to learn the basic skills of CPR, and when to use them. It is estimated that improving knowledge of CPR techniques could more than double survival rates. Big screens around the marquee will show videos telling the stories of survivors, bystanders and also giving information and news from the relevant charities involved.

For more information visit savealife.scot

follow facebook.com/savealifeforscotland

and/or @savealifescot on Twitter.

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