Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance encourages people to help save lives

Latest data released by SWASfT reveals that in the last six years the trust has responded to and provided a resuscitation attempt for over 21,000 patients. Seventy-five per cent of these patients experienced a cardiac arrest at a private location such as a home or holiday address. An out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a medical emergency when a person’s heart stops beating suddenly causing a person to fall unconscious and stop breathing normally. Sixty-five per cent of patients who experienced a OHCA received bystander CPR before the arrival of the first ambulance response.

Last year approximately one in three air ambulance missions were to patients experiencing a cardiac arrest.

Ollie Zorab, Specialist Practitioner in Critical Care for DSAA and SWASfT’s Clinical Lead for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arres, explained: “With a high proportion of cardiac arrests taking place at a private location, it will sadly mean that you’re more likely to perform CPR on a loved one, then you will on a stranger. We want to empower people to know what to do, should the worst happen, so you can help us to help you.

“I often hear people say they would be worried about hurting somebody when performing CPR or using a defibrillator. In reality, when someone has a sudden, unexpected cardiac arrest, doing nothing is the only way of making their situation worse. Public access defibrillators are simple pieces of equipment which are easy to use and don’t require any training. If you have to use a device, it will provide clear instructions telling you what you need to do.”