Automated external defibrillators - shockingly obvious!

Coronary heart disease kills more people world wide than any other disease put together. There is a sub-set within that generic that is probably the world's most prominent medical emergency; sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Did you know that 400,000 people in the US, 700,000 people across Europe and an estimated 2 million people in China die from SCA every year? Truly a phenomenal amount of people. Sadly, the survival rate from SCA outside hospital is generally, at best, around 5%; look at it the other way around and that mean 95% of people suffering a SCA are dying. Even in hospital survival rate is no better than 15-20%.

The problem outside hospital in particular is due to the way we treat SCA. This is a life threatening condition for which the only effective therapy is defibrillation. However, traditionally the only place one would find a defibrillator is in the back of an ambulance. Now, given the fact that for every minute that passes without defibrillation survival falls by 7 to 10 percent one can clearly see that waiting ten minutes, at best, for an ambulance to arrive gives the SCA victim little chance of survival. Ambulance response times appear to be getting longer in some places due to a year-on-year increase in emergency calls coupled with less resources, traffic grid -lock in major cities contributing to their struggle to meet the needs of the population. Studies from around the globe have shown that by placing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public place can increase survival by over 70%. AEDs are easy to use, safe and effective devices that can be operated by non-medical persons with the minimum of training. By getting to the SCA victim and defibrillating them within 2 to 3 minutes can make a big difference to survival.

In 2004, the department of health in the UK, in conjunction with the British Heart Foundation, funded a defibrillation in public places programme, placing AEDs in railway stations, the London Underground system and the major airports in England. A study of the first 200-odd rescues showed an increase in survival from around 5% to 25% - a five-fold increase.

It is well accepted that AEDs are the way forward in saving lives from SCA, however the number of these devices is still small compared with the overall problem of SCA. By placing further AEDs in public places, workplaces, sports facilities and the like we can save more lives and increase survival considerably. Many individuals and organisations around the world are championing this cause, however unless the government of the day in these countries are prepared to stand behind this cause then the survival rate related to SCA will increase only slowly.

Many governments have implemented long term plans; healthy eating, stop smoking programmes or fitness regimes, these however are a slow drip, drip of preventative measures that will take several years to take effect. Saving lives should be the number one priority for any government and only by placing more AEDs will we be able to achieve both short term and long term survival for SCA victims.

Shockingly obvious wouldn't you agree?

Happy birthday!

Today is a day of birthdays. Firstly, my sister celebrates today (I won't say how old she is of course!). It is also the fifth birthday of my grandson, Josh. My wife and I are lucky to have four gorgeous grandsons although sadly two of them, Cody & Robin, moved to the USA two years ago with my eldest son and his wife. We don't therefore get to see them that often but thanks to the modern technological marvels of Skype and web cams we get to chat to them, and my son, most weekends.



Josh's birthday party was a cacophony of noise and rumbustiousness as all his nursery friends arrived to celebrate. Although the weather wasn't that great we all had great fun in the park playing on the swings, roundabout and various other items of paraphernalia.



Back to the house then for the food, which I think ended up more on the floor than the kid's plates. Calm was restored when they all sat down to watch 'Toy Story 2.



Next month it is Cody's birthday so that means making sure I buy his card and post it off early so it arrives on time. Cody & Robin live in a very pleasant suburb of Milwaukee where the winters are freezing (the cold wind and snow blowing off Lake Michigan) and the summer is hot and sunny. They live in what is called a 'walking community' which is great as there are few cars around to pose a danger to the kids playing or walking to school and traffic is very light. This explodes the myth, and to some extent my experience, of all American households having at least fourteen cars on the driveway - I didn't think anyone walked in the US!



No doubt by the time Cody & Robin reach their teens they will be acting and speaking like Americans.

Birthdays always make me think how quickly time passes, especially when looking at ones kids and grandkids. Oh well, the march of time is unstoppable and it is true that the older one gets the quicker time seems to pass.

Cricket, Jolly Cricket!

Ah, the sound of leather on willow, sunny weekends, cricket teas and the applause of the hardy spectator. Thus is the game of cricket defined within this fair isle. As Sarah Bernhardt said "I do love cricket - it's so very English"



Being in my third season up here in a not so sunny Scotland, after a twenty-five year lay off, it is hard to equate those endearing words of lovely Sarah to this quintessentially quaint and historic game. Sure, the sound of leather on willow resounds throughout many a Scottish cricket ground (in my case its usually the stumps getting it rather than the bat) but sunny weekends are at a premium up north and I can tell you from personal experience that two shirts and a thick cricket sweater do not keep the raw north-east wind blowing off the sea at bay at all.



Given that everything related to English sport is anathema to our northern cousins, it really is strange that cricket is such a popular sport in these climes. Jaunty Scotsmen who would rather pour whiskey down the sink than support the 'Sassenachs', have even been heard to talk about the wonders of the English cricket team; unheard of praise in any other sport!



One thing I have discovered though is that sprinting quickly 22 yards between wickets is considerably harder at 57 than it was 25 years ago. No doubt the reason why we were soundly thumped by a team of 16 and 17 year olds last week, plus the fact that the aforementioned leather smacked me on the knee, foot and finger requiring a five hour wait in the local emergency department.

Starting Out

Well, I have often wondered what this blogging lark is all about. Exposing one's soul to the world? A form of self -aggrandisement? A fillip to the ego perhaps?

I enjoy writing so having experimented with Twitter and Facebook, as well as an initial blog that turned into my life history, I thought it was time to start again and see if I can get to grips with this technology - baring my soul to the world of fellow bloggers. Trouble is though, how far should one go to bare their soul, if such a thing exists, to the wider world? I guess everyone has problems but it's funny how one's individual problems always seem greater than anyone elses.

Reading this back makes me out to be a maudlin soul which is not my usual personality at all. I read somewhere that blogs, Twitter etc all lead to a tendency to expose every foible of ones life; as if the computer screen acts as a barrier to the wider world and lulls the writer into a false sense of security. Hmm, all these philosophical questions.

I will try and make my future blogs more exciting, fun and interesting!