For The Less Healthy.

[Smoggy]

For anyone out there with a phobia of excercise or salad or just generally having a bad day it's worth noting that the ferryhouse at surlingham now has an automatic defibrilator on the riverside wall.

A good position with the size of some of their portions!

[Chelsea14Ian]

I would only advise there use in a real emergency ,otherwise will cause serious harm.

[addicted]

We were perplexed recently to notice a defibrilator had been installed on the flank wall of the local undertaker!

 

 

Carole

[Chelsea14Ian]

Think they are popping up in many high street locations. The more the better I say .I have done a first aid at work course,and they are a life saver. 

[grendel]

we have one in each of our offices, they are appearing everywhere now, so much so that in first aid training at work we are told to ask abnyone in the area to go get the first aid kit and defibrilator almost before phoning the ambulance..

[Ray]

I understand that the newer ones actually tell you whether or not to use them once they are applied and take readings from the patient, cutting down dramatically on cases of inappropriate use.

[Paul]

2 hours ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

I would only advise there use in a real emergency ,otherwise will cause serious harm.

In order to access a defibrilator you must call 999, they will give you the key code to unlock the cabinet and instruct you how to attach the leads to the casualty. The defibrilator will then check the patients heart and will only charge if shocking is appropriate. I had to do this recently, and was terrified but it is really quite easy, just stay calm and follow the instructions of the operator

[grendel]

the ones in our office are the intelligent sort that check the patient, then tell you if the patient needs it

[webntweb]

Extra care has to be taken if the patient has a pacemaker.

I presume there will be some instructions with the defibrillator with regard to that situation. 

[Ray]

I have just been doing a little reading up on public defibs, I couldn't find out if the unit will tell you what to do if a pacemaker is fitted but I did find advice that said if you are careful not to place the pads over the pacemaker itself then it should be safe. I guess in such an emergency situation and to most of us we simply wouldn't know if a pm was fitted and would just do our best anyway. Apparently a pm can be spotted as a disc shape under the skin near the left clavicle!

What I found interesting, given our common interest in boats and rivers is that the patient should be dry, at least their chest and care should be taken not to electrocute yourself and bystanders by using it in standing water.

Also a defib is not suitable for a drowning victim as their heart has no electrical activity. A defib shock stops the heart so it can reset naturally it doesn't start a heart that has stopped (which is what I thought)

[Lulu]

 

 

21 minutes ago, Ray said:

Apparently a pm can be spotted as a disc shape under the skin near the left clavicle!

I have a pacemaker and wear a medi alert bracelet as well as carrying a 'pacemaker passport'.  Because I am left handed my pacemaker was fiited on the right hand side.  There is a scar

[Ray]

Thanks for sharing that Lulu, you just never know if one day any of us may remember that at a moment when it really counts!

[Guest]

3 hours ago, webntweb said:

Extra care has to be taken if the patient has a pacemaker.

I presume there will be some instructions with the defibrillator with regard to that situation. 

With a community defibrillator any instruction you receive will come from the 999 operator. The defib will give (in it's wonderful robotic voice) instructions to follow the voice prompt calmly and place the pads on the casualty.

If someone is in need of CPR as long as the pads are not placed directly upon the pacemaker site, their need is far greater than the worry of the pacemaker itself.

Once this is done the unit gives about 2 minutes for CPR to be administered, after this time it will prompt for the casualty to be left whilst the defib checks if a shockable rhythm is detected. If there is no shockable rhythm or no heart activity detected (defibrillators can only shock a heart in order for the heart to hopefully "reset" itself and pump in a normal rhythm) it will instruct for CPR to be recommenced.

If a shockable rhythm is detected it will instruct the user to press the shock button. Before this everyone should be clear of the casualty and any Oxygen that is in use (which it wouldn't for a member of the public) moved away before the button is pressed, which will deliver a shock and then instruct for CPR to be resumed once again, for the 2 minute period it initially started.

And it goes on in a constant loop. For civillians, thats about as indepth as you are asked to do.

.......forgot to add,  there should be a razor in the pack too to remove chest hair 

[Smoggy]

15 hours ago, addicted said:

We were perplexed recently to notice a defibrilator had been installed on the flank wall of the local undertaker!

 

 

Carole

There's one like that in st.neots, similar marketing tactics to the condom machines with the instruction "Pull knob" on the front, they'll never make any money like that.....