Suffering from a heart attack in a public place may now become a less dangerous event, thanks to defibrillators that are hidden away all over the place, in Hong Kong. This will give people the best chance of surviving some kind of cardio event and will improve their chances of long-term heart wellness.
Installed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, these automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) have been placed in 80 sports grounds and parks, and by June this year there will be AEDs in 174 additional locations.
This follows on from the devices being installed in water sports centres, public swimming pools and on beaches over two years ago, with the aim of protecting the wellbeing of heart patients. The LSD is also embarking on an education programme, helping the public understand how to use the devices, so that they can save lives, should the need occur.
The point of AEDs is that they are suitable for anyone to use – you do not have to be a trained professional. Learning how to use AEDs could save a life, and that could be of a stranger in the street, or it could actually be of a family member of someone close to you, so it may be a skill that you never regret acquiring. The training is open to all, and is being conducted in numerous locations, such as the Fire Services Department and the Hospital authority.
AEDs help to restore a regular heartbeat in patients who are having a cardiac arrest. Studies have shown that if they are used on a patient within the first five minutes of their arrest, they have a 50 percent greater chance of living.
Just last week in Hong Kong, a man went into cardiac arrest on a football pitch, and the newly-installed AED was used on him, likely saving his life.
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