Busy April for East Anglian Air Ambulance
Cardiac arrest was the main reason for them to launch
Last updated 30th May 2021
Last month (April 2021) East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) treated its highest number of patients for eight months, with cardiac arrests being the most common type of emergency in the region.
In the case of an out of hospital cardiac arrest, the most important part of the patient's treatment is by-stander CPR and early use of defibrillator. There is approximately a 10% reduction in survival for every minute's delay in providing defibrillation following a cardiac arrest.
However, the chance of survival can be increased two-to-threefold by the immediate provision of bystander CPR. Unfortunately, in the UK, not enough people are trained and confident in delivering these skills. EAAA is passionate about delivering training to help more people activate the chain of survival before emergency services arrive, to help save more lives across East Anglia.
Critical Care Paramedic and CPR Trainer Mark Milsom said:
"What many people are surprised to learn is that EAAA attend more cardiac arrests than any other type of emergency. Cardiac arrests can happen for a wide range of reasons, can happen anywhere, and can affect people of all ages. Sadly, 80% of cardiac arrests happen in the home. In these situations, CPR and the early use of a defibrillator can make an enormous difference to that person's care. Wherever possible, we're passionate about teaching people what to do in this situation to help improve patient outcomes before our crews arrive."