Please Please Please

"Signature Needed NOW"

The purpose of this post is simple! I want you and everyone you know, to sign this e-petition as soon as possible. I want the link to it emailed and re-tweeted as much as possible. The e-petition was set up by the Oliver King foundation and was set up after his death at the age of 12. He died from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).

Their aim is to try and raise awareness about the medical condition SADS which commonly affects people aged between 12 and 35 years of age.

By doing this through their fundraising events and major PR drives, their aim is to boost the awareness about SADS enabling them to take the first steps towards preventative steps being made freely available.

They are currently based in Liverpool, UK and are striving to ensure that schools primarily get the equipment they need to help any young people who are affected by this condition. This is namely defibrillators. They need your help to get the government to listen, as until now the only response they have had has been to refuse to help and pass the buck to the ambulance service. 

"From February 2007, responsibility for continuing the legacy of the National Defibrillator Programme was devolved to ambulance trusts. Most of the ambulance trusts across the UK have community resuscitation departments or similar, which work to place defibrillators in the community, and in areas of need."

What they mean is they won't pay for it! What they also don't tell you, is that the ambulance service places defibrillators in places only where the owners pay for them. We do provide HeartStart training in basic life support and defibrillation free of charge to anyone that wants it but this training is provided by willing staff, unpaid, and in their own time. I myself am a trainer. It is something I believe passionately about and it was of such a surprise to me that defibrillators were not in schools by legal requirement. 

The cardiac arrest survival rate in London is around 32%. That figure is much higher than the rest of the country but it also much lower than other cities in the world. Seattle has the highest survival rate in the world at 55%. The reasons for the huge gulf is simple. Basic Life Support is taught as part of the national curriculum from the age of 6. Everyone knows how to use a defibrillator and there is one on every street, in every school and in every public building. That is the survival rate that is possible but that is what the government are unwilling to do. £650 for a defibrillator is more than a 12 year olds life is worth apparently. They even refused to meet The Oliver King Foundation, yet weeks later 16 defibrillators were installing in Westminster and government buildings! If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for you and your children!

Please please please have your say. We have the chance to make a real difference so lets put our weight behind it. 

SIGN THE PETITION NOW!

For more information on the Oliver King foundation please visit  http://www.theoliverkingfoundation.co.uk/ or see them on twitter at @TheOKFoundation.

Another Life Saved

"Old dude, collapsed outside"

Weekends off in the ambulance service are a rarity. For the first two years of service my rota required me working 7 out of 10 weekends. It's now improved to 5 out of 10.  At the time, I was living outside of London with my partner enjoying a rare sunday off. We were dressed and ready to meet friends for lunch. He was wearing smart jeans, shoes and shirt and I was donning skinny jeans, boots and a rather risque top. Why the hell not?! We were running late as usual and just as we were about to leave there was a knock on the door.

"Who the hell is that?!"

And the inventor of the door rests happily in his grave. We would have to open it to find out! With an air of frustration I swung the door open. A young lad stood there, about 15 years old.

"Are you guys the paramedics?"

"Mmm, yes. Why?" I said hesitantly.

"Some old dude has collapsed in the street"

Balls! Off I went up the garden path, and sure enough, about 6ft from the front gate on the grass verge besides the pavement was indeed an old dude lying on the floor. I recognised the look on his face. It was the dead face all EMS have come to know only too well. 

"What happened?"

"He was just walking along and fell to the floor, he didn't move so I got you"

"OK, call 999"

I checked for a pulse, nothing. Breathing......nothing. Airway clear. I started CPR. As this was going on my partner came to the door to see what the fuss was about. Seeing me bounce up and down was enough! He came running out, opened the car that happened to be next to the 'old dude' and got out our response and paramedic bags. Despite no oxygen cylinder I did CPR and ventilations while my partner started getting stuff ready to intubate and cannulate. The kid was on the phone requesting an ambulance and was understandably panicking. He had given the address but was trying desperately to describe what was going on with little success or accuracy.

"Hold the phone to my ear, you've done great"

"Hello there, this a confirmed cardiac arrest, witnessed collapse, CPR in progress by LAS Paramedic, cause unknown. I'll put the kid back on for anything else you need"

"Thank you, there are 2 vehicles on route, they should be there in 3-4 minutes"

We carried on doing what ambulance services do best. He was intubated and cannulated, chest exposed and chest shaved by the time the ambulance arrived. They clearly hadn't got the message about who was on scene as when they came over they said:

"Well done, you've done a great job, are you first aiders"

I think as she said it she realised that first aiders don't normally intubate and cannulate but it was amusing all the same. They attatched oxygen to the BVM and the defib to the chest. The 'old dude' was in Ventricular Fibrillation which is a rhythm we can shock. By now a large crowd had arrived and if you've read my previous blog 'The bystander and me....' you'll know how I thrive on it! 

"Stand clear, oxygen away, shocking now"

The body jolted as the shock was delivered, just as you see on TV. It was wonderfully dramatic! I continued CPR for 2 minutes as is customary after a shock whilst the crew got the bed ready. When the two minutes was up I checked the carotid pulse at the neck and the crew checked the radial pulse at the wrist.

"I've got a pulse!"

"So have I!"

We helped them load him up, still bagging him and then he started breathing on his own. We gave out details to the crew and left them too it. When packed up our gear and headed off to lunch. Arriving late with sweat on our brows and mud on our knees let to some suspect looks and awkward questions but we had a good tale to back it up. 

We heard on the grape vine that 'Peter' had survived but it was only rumour. 6 weeks later there was a knock at the door. There he was. Completely different to how I remember but he had come to thank us for saving his life. This was the first time i'd ever met someone we had 'got back' and it was a felling I will never forget. That feeling of ecstasy and joy was enough to forgive the lack of flowers and chocolates. It remains my only off duty cardiac arrest and the one I look back on with most fondness. It just goes to show the importance of early CPR. That more so than any of the drugs and skills we bring to the table. It really does save lives. 

Take the time to look at the British Heart Foundation's new advert campagne if you haven't already. Compression only CPR. That's what can be the difference between life and death. If you're lucky you'll be able to use the phrase we did as we drove off. 

"Another life saved!"

If you would like to attend a FREE 2 hour course in London on Basic Life Support contact the London Ambulance Service at resustraining@londonambulance.nhs.uk for more information.