A grant from the British Heart Foundation, as well as fund raising from local residents and support from the Parish Council and Five Villages First Responders means there are now Community Public Access Defibrillators (CPADs) in place at Mattersey and Mattersey Thorpe.
Several members of the local Five Villages First Responders team have
given assistance to
the Parish Council and provided a free "Defibrillator and CPR" awareness
session to local residents at the Mattersey Church Hall earlier in the
year, which was very well attended. The team will also assist with on-going support and by carrying out regular checks on the new units. Thanks also go to Proviso-Systems Ltd and A1 Housing for their assistance in hosting the units on their buildings.
The defibrillators are located on the outside wall of Proviso-Systems Ltd, Everton Road, Mattersey, DN10 5DS
and on the outside wall of the Community House, 3 Cunningham Close, Mattersey Thorpe, DN10 5EN.
The life saving AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) are located in secure yellow cabinets on the outside of the buildings. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, should they be required in the case of someone nearby suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest.
When a sudden cardiac arrests happens, the patient suddenly collapses and stops breathing. Rapid help in the form of calling immediately for an ambulance via 999, starting CPR (chest compressions and rescue breaths) and the use of an AED can vastly improve the chances of survial for the patient.
The new AEDs are logged by East Midlands Ambulance Service on their Computer Dispatch system, and if a 999 call happens nearby and one of the defibrillators is required, the 999 ambulance operator will give instructions to the caller - telling them that there is an AED nearby and the code to open the cabinet to access it. If someone is then able to fetch the AED to the patients side, while another person performs CPR this will help improve the chance of survival.
Once the AED is by the patients side the lid is opened and the user simply follows the audio and visual instructions to place the pads on the patients chest. The machine will check to see if the patients heart is in a rhythm that requires a shock, and if it is the AED will deliver one. The AEDs are simple and safe to use. While of this is happening the ambulance service will still be sending emergency resources straight to the scene following the 999 call. But if CPR can be carried out and an AED can be used within the first 2 or 3 minutes after a cardiac arrests occurs the chances of the patient being successfully resuscitated are much greater.
