Friday 3rd December 2010 - Published by Robert Trigg - Communications Executive
The ultimate Christmas gift you hope never to use
According to the British Heart Foundation, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) kills more than 2,000 people in the UK every week.
It is the UK’s biggest killer, claiming more victims than lung cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined. According to Sussex-based SCA specialists, you’re probably better off having a cardiac arrest in a casino in America, a brothel in Switzerland, on an airplane rather than at home, as they all have Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and can get to you in the critical first five minutes.
Robin Shepherd, of The Defib Centre wants more lives saved this Christmas and is encouraging consumers to invest in a home based AED, by offering a £100 discount in the price over the festive season. The former Channel 5 and BBC1 Watchdog ‘back expert’ explains:
“Over 80% of cardiac arrests happen outside a hospital, and mostly in the home. A cardiac arrest will completely drain the life from someone within ten minutes. But instead of standing by and watching that happen, with minimal training and an essential, affordable, easy-to-use piece of equipment, you can improve their chance of survival dramatically.”
He continues: “The Defib Centre is driven by passion, not profit, and our aim is to make AEDs available everywhere and for everyone, next to every fire extinguisher in the country. They cost the same and whereas 500 people die of fire in the UK every year, over 120,000 die from cardiac arrest."
A portable AED from The Defib Centre can be purchased for as little as £499+VAT, which includes a free CPR/AED training kit. The HeartSine PDU (Personal Defibrillation Unit) is maintenance-free and the size of a radio, with a five-year guarantee and battery life. Designed for simplicity and safety of use, it has only two buttons to press, no heavy paddles dripping with gloop to wave about and will only shock if a shock is advised.
HeartSine Personal Defibrillation Unit PDU 400
