Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance has funded seven automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that will be in almost continuous circulation throughout the community, as they travel with staff and volunteers to events and talks that the charity attends.
An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses life-threatening cardiac arrests and can treat them through defibrillation – a dose of electric current to the heart.
There are approximately 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year. For every minute that someone is in cardiac arrest without receiving CPR and having a defibrillator used on them, their chance of survival decreases by 10%.
The AEDs will be in charity vehicles, such as its flight simulator van, that can regularly be seen across the region. Members of the charity team attend hundreds of events each year, such as Dash in the Dark and The Garlic Festival, covering thousands of miles.
While AEDs have been designed to be used by people with no training, all charity staff have been trained in basic life support, including how to use an AED, by the service’s life-saving paramedics and doctors. From the finance assistant to the CEO, everyone is now a potential lifesaver. The charity aims to have its 150 volunteers to be trained by the end of 2025.
70-year-old Paul Wise had a cardiac arrest while he was riding his horse near his home in East Cowes. His wife Joyce, a retired nurse and midwife, sprang into action and began CPR. When the air ambulance crew landed, Paul had been shocked eight times in total – 13 by the time he eventually reached hospital.
Paul was put into an induced coma on scene and underwent emergency surgery. Just six weeks later, he was back on his horse – under the watchful eye of Joyce.
Joyce said:
“As soon as we started CPR I could see the colour coming back to his face – so I knew we were doing the right thing. I was thinking please get somebody here quickly. I knew that he needed defibrillation. The fact that we did things quickly and effectively helped save his life.”
Paul added: “I’m very lucky. I’d like to shake the Air Ambulance crew’s hand. I feel like I have a debt to them that I’ll never be able to repay. Because of them, we’re just living life to the full.”
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance CEO, Richard Corbett, said:
“We hope these defibrillators are never needed. But, if an emergency does happen, we are proud and pleased to know that members of our charity team will have the means to respond and potentially save a life. We owe huge thanks to our supporters whose dedication to our cause has made this possible.”
The charity has launched its CPR Skills for Life campaign, aiming to empower people in the community to feel confident in performing CPR and using an AED – helping to save lives.
Visit hiowaa.org/cpr for more information.
