Taking 100.000 lives per year in the UK
Do you know who is the infamous killer from the title?
AIDS? No
Lung cancer? No
Breast cancer? No
All of them combined? No, its sudden cardiac arrest.
Watch a short documentary about the massive loss of life in the UK due to sudden cardiac arrest and ways that the death rate can be dramatically reduced.
Help the goal to place 500 public access AEDs across the UK.
Learn and perform better quality CPR with our CPR PRO mobile app.
Learn how AEDs work and practice using these lifesaving machines with our AED Trainer app.
Resuscitation 2012
Tomorrow I will be travelling to Vienna, Austria to take part in the Resuscitation 2012 congress organised by the European Resuscitation Council. At this annual congress, which will take place from Thursday 18 October until Saturday 20 October 2012, I will be one of the members of the official Social Media Team. Our team will work HARD&FAST to bring you all the news and updates live during the Resuscitation 2012 congress.
Follow us across all our networks:
Blog
Facebook
Twitter - use #erc12vienna hashtag to be heard!
Vimeo
Flickr
Podcast: Bringing CPR into schools
A week ago, Resuscitation Council UK, together with the British Heart Foundation and the famous football player Fabrice Muamba, presented a 100,000-signature petition to Downing Street in order to make CPR mandatory part of school curriculum in the United Kingdom.
European Resuscitation Council spoke with Dr. Andrew Lockey, representative of Resuscitation Council, about their efforts to increase survival rates of sudden cardiac arrest in the UK by educating thousands of school children.
To find out how you can help, visit the BHF website.
Read one of my older posts, to learn what happened to Fabrice Muamba.
Infographic: Why do some live while others die from cardiac arrest?
Click to enlarge.
Why do medical teams at football matches still suck?
So, I am watching this big football match between Barcelona and Chelsea. Me, 100.000 people at the stadium, and millions at their homes across the World. No football fan would ever want to miss this semi final UEFA Champions League game, which is just a special treat.
Anyway, during the first half an incident happens in the Barcelona’s penalty area. Didier Drogba, Chelsea attacker, was running towards Barcelona’s goal, trying to catch a ball passed to him. He was followed closely by Barcelona’s defender Gerard Pique. However, Barcelona’s goal keeper, Víctor Valdés, got to the ball first, and in the process knocked out Pique. He deliver a forceful blow with his hip to Pique’s head. It was not a pretty sight to see. His head made several uncontrolled movements, first from the blow, and then when he fell to the ground unconscious. OK. So what happens now. Me, I am thinking (and tweeting) they should immobilize this guy immediately, put a cervical collar on as a minimum, and surely not let him continue to play. OK. But what do they do. Some guys from Barcelona’s medical team rush to him, start slapping him. OK. His head is flying in all directions. They are not even considering to maybe at least manually stabilize his neck. So he is lying there unconscious for 30 seconds or so. OK. He starts responding, and all is good for these guys. They get him up on his feet, literally do a 5 second exam on him, and yeah man, no worries you are good to go. Get back in there champ.
Take a look at the video.
Is it just me? Or is this totally unacceptable. And sure, what happens next. He starts feeling quite unwell, and 8 minutes after the incident asks for a substitution. The latest news is that he suffered a light concussion and was being kept overnight in a hospital as a precaution after undergoing medical tests. With the medical care he received on the pitch, he is lucky if you ask me.
Read more »
My iPad app: AED Trainer
This post was originally published on Tue, 02/28/2012. However, due to issues with web hosting it has been temporarily removed.
A new iOS app I have been working on with my partners for quite some time, has finally been released today in the iTunes store. This iPad specific app is called AED Trainer and can be purchased on sale for 5.99 USD for a limited time period.
AED Trainer app transforms the iPad into a life-like simulator of automatic external defibrillator (AED), allowing the users to get familiar with these life-saving devices. For those who don’t know, AEDs are electronic devices used to deliver electrical shocks to people suffering from cardiac arrest. Electrical shock, also called defibrillation, represents the only therapy for dangerous heart rhythms such as ventricular fibrillation. It is important to note that these devices are not intended to be used by healthcare professionals only. Quite the contrary, they are predominantly aimed at lay rescuers, so you might have seen them hanging on the walls of airports, train stations, stadiums, and other public places. Everyone should know how to use these devices, because cardiac arrest can happen anywhere, anytime and to anyone, and you might just be the one who can save a life. With the AED Trainer app you can experience how a live AED works, try out different scenarios, and be ready to use an actual device in case of a real emergency.
You can learn more about AEDs by watching our “How to use an AED” video.
