Suffolk woman who lost her brother urges people to learn CPR
The British Heart Foundation has developed an app to help people learn CPR in 15 minutes
A free app by the British Heart Foundation is trying to get more people in Suffolk to learn how to do CPR
This comes as the East of England has one of the lowest survival rates of cardiac arrest in the country.
In the East of England in 2021 to 2022, there were 3600 out of hospital cardiac arrest, with a survival rate of just 7%, according to the Ambulance Quality Indicators.
In a bid to tackle this, the BHF have launched RevivR, and says it will teach you how to perform CPR in 15 minutes.
CPR Training: British Heart Foundation
CPR Training: British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation has also put together a playlist with the correct number of beats per minute that can be used for CPR. This can be found here.
We spoke to Karl Coppack, the fundraising manager for the British Heart Foundation for Norfolk and Suffolk.
He told us more about CPR:
“CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and it involves giving someone who is in a cardiac arrest chest compressions to keep them alive until the emergency services arrive.
“The first step is always to ring 999. We cannot emphasize that enough. That's the first thing you should do and that's for somebody who's had a cardiac arrest or has had a heart attack.
Karl told us more about how the RevivR app works
“It’s very simple. It starts from the very second that somebody collapses in front of you.
“Someone who's had a cardiac rest will be unconscious. So it tells you firstly, the ring 999 to ask someone to get a defibrillator because defibrillator’s will do the work that your about to undertake.
“Then it tells you how to do chest compressions. The depth of the of the chest compressions and also the rhythm of the chest compressions as well.
“So what you're doing is you're keeping that person alive until they services arrive or someone arrives with the defibrillator.
“We want someone straight away to begin the compressions if that happens because with every minute that passes the chance of survival is reduced significantly.
“Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any age. It's not just for sort of older people or ill people it can happen to young people.”
British Heart Foundation: CPR Training advice
British Heart Foundation: CPR Training advice
Karl also told us how to identify cardiac arrest from a heart attack
“A heart attack is stems from a blockage in the arteries, which means blood can't get to the heart and the heart muscle begins to die.
“Cardiac arrest is more of an electrical problem, which basically just means the heart is suddenly stopped.
“The main difference you will see upon if you saw what having one having the other is that the person at the cardiac arrest will not be breathing and they'll be unconscious, or if they are breathing, it's more of a gasping breath.
“If someone is in cardiac arrest they need CPR straight away. After you phone 999."
Victoria's story
One Suffolk family in particular is closely involved, sharing their story so that more people know how important it is to learn CPR.
Joe Langfield was just 27 years old when he passed away from an inflammation of the heart muscle called myocarditis in June 2021.
His younger sister Victoria told us: “It had been a normal Friday, he'd gone to work, everything was fine. He'd even been for a run in the morning before work, he was fit and active.”
Victoria, who was close with her older brother, remembers him: "He was cheeky with a strong character, who made the most of everything. He had such a zest for life."
She told us what it was like when she found out:
“Complete shock. No one had any idea, any inkling, it was just completely out of the blue. Shock doesn't really sum up how it felt, it was just the most inconceivable phone call.”
She doesn’t remember much from the months after he passed, describing it as ‘brain fog.’
“I couldn't really put it into words the chaos of that time in our lives… The pain of losing Joe just keeps going. It's there all the time.
"It has left such a devastating hole in so many lives. We miss him in a way that I can’t really articulate."
Joe played football regularly, meaning Suffolk FA have become involved, making sure the players are receiving CPR training as well.
Nick Garnham from the Suffolk Football County Association told us when he was contacted to help promote the app it was a ‘no brainer.’
“It was a sort of thing that it was only right and proper that we should support as a county FA.
“We very quickly engaged with the idea …and what a success it's already proving to be."
They are promoting the app by putting information on the Suffolk FA website and on their social media channels.
There are 300 football clubs in Suffolk and Nick is hoping, in time, they will all get involved, promote the app and learn how to use it.
Nick also made the point that even if someone had had CPR training, the RevivR app acts as a good refresher.
Victoria told us how she got involved with the British Heart foundation and Suffolk FA:
“Joes football team Borussia Martlesham had CPR training with Karl, and I thought this was such a good idea. So I got in contact with the British Heart Foundation because I was trying to get the CPR training in my office.
“Although we've got first aiders at work, I think it's really important everyone knows how to how to perform CPR because it isn’t needed in convenient places.
“Things like this don’t happen when you expect, when you've got someone trained to help, that's why I got in touch with the British Heart Foundation.
“Then they spoke about rolling this campaign out within football in Suffolk and I thought it's completely fitting way to honour our Joey. He loved his football.
“He played for or against probably most teams in Suffolk and I think it’s the perfect way to honour him within a community he loved.
"I hope this incredible app RevivR can change lives and hopefully save lives."
Victoria told us that through their loss they hope to help others:
“I think we have to take what's happened to us and see if we can find a positive outlet and a way to help people. I think Joe would’ve wanted that.
"Hopefully we can find a way to make sure other families and loved ones don’t ever have to feel how we feel.
“Someone who is so young, fit, healthy, to be stolen from our lives like this.
"It makes no sense and I think a lot of people felt like that when it happened. It simply made no sense. 18 months on, it still doesn’t even seem possible."
Joe's family is now urging everyone to try out the app:
“I think it's really important to know that the training is just 15 minutes. It's so easy to complete. What they've created is brilliant.
“It’s such an important resource and I think more people need to know it's out there and they can complete the training at home.
“It's 15 minutes out of your day to potentially save someone's life."