LITTLE BOX THAT’S A LIFE SAVE A BIG LIFESAVERR

WHEN football star Christian Eriksen suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during his country’s opening match in the Euros, the world watched first in shock, and then relief as he recovered.

In the UK, 250 people who had a cardiac arrest on the same day as Eriksen were not lucky enough to have nearby an automated external defibrillator, or AED – the small piece of equipment that saved the former Premier League star’s life.

Denmark star Eriksen has since been fitted with an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) which will be able to shock his heart if it goes into a fatal arrhythmia (heart rhythm disorder) again. His very own internal AED.

More than 100,000 people die each year from sudden cardiac death in the UK — more than breast cancer, lung cancer, and AIDS combined. Unlike a heart attack, when a sudden cardiac arrest occurs every minute counts with immediate access to CPR and a defibrillator being vitally important.

If Eriksen had been at home, on the team bus or even in the car park, he may not have been so fortunate, and we could be mourning the loss of a great sportsman.

CPR alone provides a 9% chance of survival; CPR and the use of an AED increases the chance of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest to over 70%. Sadly, not everyone has access to an AED.

When a potentially fatal heart rhythm occurs, only shocking the heart back into a normal rhythm within the first few minutes gives the person a chance of survival. And only an AED can deliver the appropriate shock.

The charity Arrhythmia Alliance, which raises awareness of arrhythmias (heart rhythm disorders) and sudden cardiac arrest, has long campaigned for this life-saving equipment to be easily accessible in all public places and communities, highlighting that they should be as commonplace as smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.

Fire extinguishers and smoke alarms are required by law – this needs to be the same for AEDs, says the charity, so that we all have access to an AED within three minutes of suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. For every minute that passes your chance of survival decreases by 10% -– so it is vital to have quick access to an AED.