GJC Services Halifax

 The Cost of an AED £1000 - The cost of a life Priceless

Subject: Fabrice Muamba's heart stopped for 78 minutes... an AED was used.He survived

sadly less can be said for the young 15 year old boy Luke Chapman who collapsed during a school rugby match in Worcester.

There is now a growing call for all young athletes to be screened for heart defects after the collapse of Bolton's Fabrice Muamba on Saturday.

Doctors are describing his recovery as a miracle. There have been calls for more screening around the world following this massive wakeup call for sports men and women worldwide.

Muamba's heart was started 15 times on the way to the hospital following the cardiac arrest.

Muamba's recovery has amazed the foot-balling community as much as it has medical experts. His heart stopped for a staggering 78 minutes, saved by the immediate CPR and AED given by paramedics and doctors to continue his circulation which minimised damage to his brain.

There is speculation that he may have a heart muscle condition (Cardiomyopathy) which affects 1 in 500 people, of all ages including babies, which can present at any time. The result of Muamba's immediate medical attention highlights the importance for everyone to learn first aid.

Andy Murray joined a host of stars on the campaign backed by The British Heart Foundation. The 'Love Heart' campaign reinforces the message following the recent advert featuring Vinnie Jones. 'Hard and Fast' the hands only method of course is not the comprehensive way to perform CPR but simply gives the general public an idea. The message intended is to give someone the confidence to ’step up and have a go' should they be faced with a person suffering a cardiac arrest.

Fabrice made such a marvellous recovery due to the immediate attention he received, his brain was kept alive by the efforts of the paramedics and doctors who did an incredible job which is testimony to them....

AoFA are dedicated to promote the furtherance of first aid . We support the wider access to defibrillators in the workplace along with the work of SADS www.sadsuk.org.uk (sudden adult death syndrome) and their recent 'Big Shock Campaign' to place defibrillators in schools.

The cardiac charity SADS UK aims to save lives, providing information, funding research and medical equipment to prevent premature sudden cardiac death.

SADS UK highlights the fact that young people and even children can be affected by potentially fatal cardiac conditions. Anne Jolly launched the organisation in 2000 working in the areas of Research, Prevention and Emergency Care, lives have been saved as a direct result of the outstanding work of SADS UK.