While CPR alone (chest compressions and rescue breaths) saves around 9% of people who suffer from a sudden cardiac arrest, CPR and using an automated external defibrillator (AED) ‘shock box’ increases the chance of survival five-fold to 50%.
What is a defibrillator?
A defibrillator is a device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest.
This high energy shock is called defibrillation, and it’s an essential life saving step in the chain of survival.
Time is of the essence
Having a ‘shock box’ nearby could have a dramatic effect on the likelihood of surviving a cardiac arrest. Figures of 75% survival have been reported when defibrillation is performed within three minutes of someone collapsing: this is usually much less time than it takes for an ambulance to arrive, as the ambulance service aims to reach the majority of urgent calls only within eight minutes. The chances of resuscitation fall by at least 10% with every minute that defibrillation is delayed.
A shock box for the parish
The Avon Inn and Avonwick Village Shop raised money to buy a shock box for the parish, and it was installed in Avonwick outside the (now former) village shop. It’s already been used by a member of the public to resuscitate a casualty.
North Huish Parish Council has purchased a second defibrillator and installed it in North Huish, using the telephone box that was decommissioned by BT in 2021.