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Aims of Restart The Heart

What is a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)?

What is an AED?

Promoting HeartSafe Communities

Mini-Anne CPR & AED Training Kits

Latest News & Events

Have you ever suffered a cardiac arrest?

Aims of Restart The Heart

The campaign has five principle aims:

• To increase public awareness of and understanding about SCA
• To increase awareness of the importance of AEDs as emergency life-saving equipment
• To increase public confidence in the use of AEDs
• To increase the placement of AEDs in local communities
• Provision of, and improvements to, AED locator mapping

Every scheme mentioned in this toolkit works in collaboration with the ambulance service (AS) and, if present, the Community First Responder (CFR) team. The intention of the Restart The Heart (RTH) campaign is to promote all initiatives in relation to public access defibrillation and to enhance and compliment the current emergency service frameworks; facilitating timely and effective treatment.

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What is an AED?

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is an emergency life-saving device for use in the event of sudden cardiac arrest. It is a portable appliance that analyses the heart rhythm and administers an electrical charge to the heart if needed (to establish a regular heartbeat in the event of a cardiac arrest).

Only within the first few minutes following cardiac arrest will a victim be in a ‘shockable rhythm’; rapid defibrillation is therefore vital. Placing AEDs in the community can dramatically reduce the time from collapse to defibrillation and can greatly improve survival rates.

When switched on the AED will instruct the user to connect the pads to a patient’s bare chest. The pads enable the AED to examine the patient’s heart and determine if the patient is in a viable, shockable rhythm. If the device determines that a shock is required, it will charge in preparation to deliver a shock. The AED is very safe as it will only charge if it determines a shockable rhythm is present.

When charged, the device instructs the user to ensure that no one is touching the patient and to then press a button to deliver the shock. Or, in the case of a fully automatic AED, the unit will advise the user that it is about to deliver the shock without further intervention. After the shock is delivered, the device will instruct the user to commence/continue CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) for a period of two minutes, after which it will analyse the patient’s heart rhythm once again, advising a further shock or further CPR.

An AED has an internal memory, which stores an ECG of the patient’s heartbeat along with details of the time the unit was activated and the number and strength of any shocks delivered. All this memorised data can be either downloaded to a computer, or printed out, so that it can be analysed by appropriate medical personnel.

Who can use an AED?
Technological advances have meant that AEDs can be used by anyone with minimal or no training and little or no experience (Resuscitation Council UK guidelines purport that the use of AEDs should not be restricted to trained personnel). However, chances of survival increase if the person has had some awareness training in its use. For this reason, Arrhythmia Alliance recommends running public awareness sessions and training opportunities when placing a community AED.

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Promoting HeartSafe Communities

Arrhythmia Alliance stress that every AED placement must work in collaboration with the ambulance service (AS) and, if present, the Community First Responder (CFR) team. The intention of the Restart The Heart (RTH) campaign is to promote all initiatives in relation to public access defibrillation and to enhance and compliment the current emergency service frameworks; facilitating timely and effective treatment.

Arrhythmia Alliance recommends that whichever scheme a community adopts, the AED is positioned so that it is clearly visible and easily accessible in an emergency. In the event of a sudden cardiac arrest, every second counts! Ideally, the AED would be housed in a wall mounted cabinet, either secured or unsecured, permitting limited or full public access if and when needed.

Fundamental to a placement is awareness raising; Arrhythmia Alliance recommend provision of AED awareness sessions and training to ensure that everyone in the community is aware of the placement and location of the AED and is familiar with its use in an emergency.

Awareness raising and community participation can alleviate people’s concerns about resuscitation, can demonstrate how the scheme works, how easy an AED is to use and will explain how to recognise the signs of SCA.

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Mini-Anne CPR & AED Training Kits

Arrhythmia Alliance is proud to introduce the ‘Mini-Anne Self Directed CPR & AED Skills Learning Programme’, the first of its kind!

With a fully interactive DVD, the self-directed Mini-Anne CPR & AED kit allows individuals to learn the core skills of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in less than an hour.

The kit includes the complete set of apparatus needed to simulate the process of performing CPR and using an AED; from identifying a patient in need of medical assistance to the arrival of the emergency services.

The interactive DVD is a revolutionary method of teaching these life-saving skills. It employs a unique “watch and do” technique where the user can practice CPR (30 compressions: 2 breaths) on a personal manikin (Mini-Anne) and learn how to use an AED.

The Mini-Anne CPR & AED Kit is suitable for people of all ages and levels of prior knowledge, providing an invaluable source of AED training and demonstration. The information given is clear, concise and easy to follow and is complimentary to additional AED training that may be supplied (either by the ambulance service or medical professional). In addition to this, trained personnel may also benefit from the kit as a means of providing refresher training.

For more information click here
or please contact Ben at: ben@heartrhythmcharity.org.uk, telephone: 01789 451830.

AED Locator’s 24/7 HeartSafeT Cabinets

Working in partnership with Arrhythmia Alliance, AED LOCATOR is dedicated to promoting the placement of Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) in HeartSafeT Cabinets, with 24 hour access so that life saving emergency defibrillators are available to everyone wherever they are required when a cardiac arrest is suspected.

AEDs are housed in secure, weatherproof cabinets on the exterior walls of buildings, such as a post office or village hall. The life saving defibrillators can be clearly identified by their prominent cabinets, which are keypad locked for security.

In the event of an emergency a person dials ‘999’. The operator assesses the situation and, if appropriate, provides the caller with the combination code to access the AED. The operator will only release the code if a SCA is suspected and there is a second person on scene who can retrieve the AED from the cabinet. The operator will remain on the telephone to support the caller through CPR and defibrillation. Meanwhile emergency services are dispatched to the scene.

The scheme operates in partnership with the ambulance service. The ambulance service records the cabinet location and access code on its control system, so that operators can enable members of the general public, responding to a suspected SCA, to access the AED 24 hours a day.

In villages and towns where CFR schemes already exist, the 24:7 HeartSafeT cabinet scheme is intended to enhance and compliment their service provision. In areas where CFRs aren’t in operation, the scheme can be used as a tool for establishing a CFR team and recruiting new volunteers.

The 24:7 HeartSafeT cabinet is a revolutionary concept that is new to the UK, with the first such scheme being launched as recently as 2007. It takes the government’s public access defibrillation policy to the next level by allowing all members of the general public, regardless of training, to access life-saving equipment.

For more information, visit www.aedlocator.org

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Latest News & Events

‘Advances in Community Defibrillation’ Discussion
The ‘Restart The Heart’ campaign took to the spotlight at this years Heart Rhythm Congress in October, when the Arrhythmia Alliance team organised an ‘Advances in Community Defibrillation’ discussion. Representatives from Ambulance Services across the UK were invited to the 6 hour discussion, together with individuals who are in the process of, or planning to, implement their own AED placement project.

During the day, there were presentations from Italian cardiologist Dr. Daniela Aschieri on the ‘Latest Research in SCA and AEDs’; Mountain Rescuer and Community First Responder Duncan Massey on the challenges faced on a daily basis; Mr. Keith Boyes (South Central Ambulance Service) on ‘The Role of a Community First Responder’, Mr. Duncan Parsonage (West Midlands Ambulance Service) on ‘The Life Link Scheme’ - the use of CCTV and radio systems to facilitate access to AEDs, and Director of AED Locator Clive Setter, together with Kim Morrissey (Great Western Ambulance Service) to discuss the success of the HeartSafeTM Cabinets in Chew Valley, Bristol.

As part of the discussion, Arrhythmia Alliance were proud to launch their new AED training unit in partnership with Laerdal Medical – Mini-Anne CPR & AED Training Kit. Mr. John Venning (Laerdal Medical UK) presented the global need for CPR and AED training and gave a demonstration of the training unit in action. For more information about the Mini-Anne CPR & AED Training Kit, click here.

The aim of this meeting was to unite the all parties involved within the Restart The Heart campaign, as much as possible and to share and elaborate on the success of individual initiatives to date. The Advances in Community Defibrillation discussion certainly achieved this goal and even enabled the Arrhythmia Alliance team to establish new contacts to help drive the project forward.

Some of the feedback received included: “I attended Advances in Community Defibrillation and I was ashamed about how little I, a GP knew about it all! First responder not a paramedic, paramedic’s passion about benefits for the community, Green Box Scheme- I have learned an awful lot, thank you!”

Arrhythmia Alliance would like to give a special thank you to all the speakers who contributed to the day and made the event so successful - we couldn’t have done this without you.

2009 European Resuscitation Congress, Cologne
At the beginning of October, Arrhythmia Alliance attended the 2009 European Resuscitation Congress (ERC) in Cologne, Germany, to gain a greater insight into the research and developments regarding the resuscitation guidelines – due for renewal in 2010. Shockingly, there are over 350,000 SCAs in Europe every year – the equivalent of two jumbo jet crashes every single day – and for every minute that passes, there is an unsuccessful resuscitation preformed.
Attendance to this congress provided the team with the latest facts and figures in SCA and reinforced the importance of the Restart The Heart campaign not only within the UK but internationally.

CPR in Schools Symposium – Sponsored by Laerdal Medical
Arrhythmia Alliance were invited to attend a “CPR Training for Schoolchildren” conference in Cologne were presentations were held on some of the most successful CPR training programmes across the world (including Canada, Japan, Norway and Spain). A-A was invited to participate in group discussions to share thoughts, ideas and experiences regarding best practice and initiatives for CPR training. It became apparent that targeting children between the ages of 11-14years was the most effective time to introduce CPR training; in Canada alone, 2,300 schoolchildren are trained each year.

With the new Mini-Anne CPR and AED Training Kit developed and ready to distribute, this meeting provided a timely insight into how the kit could be launched. The conference highlighted the importance of adequate networking and partnership with similar projects in other countries and so, as a result, a second meeting has been arranged for April 2010. Representatives of projects across the UK will come together to highlight any recent developments and strategies undertaken.

Progetto Vita – Piacenza, Italy
Following an initial meeting in the UK, Arrhythmia Alliance was invited to Piacenza in September to learn more about Progetto Vita and to observe the initiative in action. In September 2009 A-A spent four days in Piacenza with Daniela to gain a greater understanding of the project.
During their time in Piacenza, A-A representatives were also invited to a nearby school to take part in an interactive AED training and awareness presentation. At a young age, the children had such a thirst for knowledge and were so keen and eager to learn how they could save the life of a family member or friend. After watching a live demonstration by the volunteers, every child took it in turns to show the rest of the class how they would handle a cardiac arrest patient. The children were taught the importance of calling the emergency service immediately and the necessity of early defibrillation – after all, for every minute defibrillation is delayed, a patient’s survival rate decreases by 10%.

Ibstone Village Fête
On Saturday August 1st, representatives of the Arrhythmia Alliance, Ben Fry and Joanna Goldberg, held a stand at the Ibstone Village Fete together with local villager Melanie Grimsdale, to demonstrate the importance of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest. During the event many villagers approached the stand to gain a greater insight in the use of AEDs and to sign in support of a local campaign. (Picture Right: Joanna Fearnley, Ben Fry and Melanie Grimsdale at Ibstone Village Fête).
Funds are now being raised to provide the village of Ibstone with its own AED and HeartSafeTM Cabinet.

Have you ever suffered a cardiac arrest?

Arrhythmia Alliance invites you to share your story to help raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and the importance of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) as life-saving equipment.
To find out more, please click here

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