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Where Are The Defibrillators in Cheadle Hulme?

17 Jun 2021

Do YOU know where all the local defibrillators are? No? Well, scarily, if they’re not registered,  neither do the ambulance service. Now, we KNOW there are several in Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme. But they’re NOT all registered, so the ambulance service may not be able to tell you where to find the nearest if the worst should happen.

Please don’t let your fundraising be in vain. A defibrillator can’t save a life if nobody knows it’s there. It is SO simple to register your device for public use:

Click here to register your device for public use.

We’ve recently heard about a FREE app, too, which looks pretty under-utilised: DefibLocator

There is also lots of info available from the British Heart Foundation, HeartSafe, North West Ambulance Service and St John’s Ambulance. Indeed, St John’s Ambulance supply defibrillators as well as accessories to help with installation and maintenance.

Please let us know, too, so we can share the information across our websites.

How to Save a Life

Nobody can have missed the news this weekend. Denmark’s creative midfielder, Christian Eriksen, dropped like a stone as he ran across the pitch towards the end of the first half of Saturday’s Euro match. It was immediately and sickeningly apparent that something catastrophic had happened. Seeing his stricken teammates and his distraught wife was horrible to watch. Fortunately, fast action by the ref, Christian’s captain and teammates, and the team doctor made a big difference. As he went into Cardiac Arrest, a defib saved his life. He’s still in hospital, undergoing tests to see what happened and why, but he’s ok. Most people who suffer cardiac arrest aren’t so fortunate. Kate’s husband Michael was one of them:

Christian Erikson, the Denmark mid-fielder

“Christian’s story could have had a very, very different ending. Michael, dad to my four children, suffered cardiac arrest while playing football a few years ago. His friends did their best to keep his heart in a rhythm with CPR, but it wasn’t enough. Maybe a defib on-site WOULD have been enough. By the time the ambulance crew arrived to defibrillate, it was too late. Michael’s brain had been starved of oxygen for too long and cause of death was given as “Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest and Hypoxic Brain Injury”.

Around 30,000 people suffer out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest every year. Without a defib, fewer than 10% survive, however, if  CPR is started immediately and the defib engaged within a few minutes, as many as 70% will recover.”

Michael Godfrey, Kate’s husband and 4 children

Defibrillators Make the Difference

Cardiac arrest (when the heart suddenly stops) will lead to death within minutes. The chance of survival decreases by 23% each minute – unless CPR is started or a defibrillator is used. The UK Resuscitation Council say defibrillators should be available wherever medical assistance is over five minutes away, so, unless you live next to a hospital, that’s pretty much EVERYWHERE.  You have a less than 10% surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with CPR alone.

Michael and Kate

Staying Alive

Tragically, Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest cases rarely end as well as Christian Eriksen’s – or even Fabrice Muamba’s. However, as more and more people learn first-aid and basic CPR and more defibrillators become available, happier endings are on the rise. However, around 75% of people still say they wouldn’t feel confident enough to administer CPR. Seriously? Get over it. Ribs heal. Hypoxic brain injuries don’t. It’s hard work, yes; but it’s really not that tricky. Without it, the patient is likely to die so just try your best. It’s their best chance :

Hands-only CPR (from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/first-aid/cpr)

  1. Place the heel of your hand on the breastbone at the centre of the person’s chest. Place your other hand on top of your first hand and interlock your fingers.
  2. Position yourself with your shoulders above your hands.
  3. Using your entire body weight (not just your arms), press straight down by 5 to 6cm (2 to 2.5 inches) on their chest.
  4. Keeping your hands on their chest, release the compression and allow the chest to return to its original position.
  5. Repeat these compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 times a minute until an ambulance arrives.

It can be helpful to press to the rhythm of Nellie the Elephant, or, more fittingly, the BeeGees’ Staying Alive.

A Matter of Life and Death

That’s it. That’s CPR, which should be used until a defibrillator is available. Don’t worry about how to use the defib. It’s idiot-proof.  You CAN’T inadvertently shock someone who doesn’t need it. Defibrillators are incredibly simple to use and totally safe. The machines give clear, often spoken, instructions. They automatically detect the heart’s rhythm and so won’t shock unless necessary.

When you call 999, the operator should be able to direct you to your nearest defib. But. There’s the issue. And it could be a matter of life and death. They can only do this if they know it’s there. Please, PLEASE register yours. It could mean somebody else’s daddy comes home.

Where the Defibs Are:

These are the defibs that we know of. Some are only available when the premises are open. Very few are registered.

Bramhall:

Cheadle Hulme:

Defibrillator on Station Road, Cheadle Hulme

*We have tried to make the information gathered about locations as accurate as possible. If anything is incorrect, or we are missing a location please tell us.*

Do you know of any other defibs locally? Do they have 24 hours access? Is there anywhere you believe should have one? Are you involved in raising funds to provide one? Please let us know.

 

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