Defibrillators for Sports Clubs

With an increasing number of sporting fatalities making the headline such as sudden and unexpected cardiac arrests on football and rugby pitches across the country, the need for defibrillators in sports clubs has never been more prevalent.

With the UK experiencing 60,000 cardiac arrests outside of hospitals that are treated by the emergency services every year, defibrillators, if delivered quickly enough could see survival rates as high as 75%.

Playing sports of course keeps people fit and healthy but with more frequent, underlying heart conditions going undetected in sports across the UK, having a defibrillator at every sports club can make the difference between a life lost and a life saved.

Defibrillators work by analysing the hearts rhythm which then determines whether a shock is required. If a shock is administered, an electric current is sent through the chest wall to disrupt the chaotic rhythm, allowing it to return to its normal pace.

In the UK, heart charities have contributed over 8,000 defibrillators to community settings however, with undetected heart conditions becoming more frequent, they are being increasingly known as silent killers across sports in the UK.

Estimates initially put two in every 100,000 sports player at risk of a cardiac arrest yet, this was vastly underestimated and after further analysis, this number has risen to seven in every 100,000. Although this sounds like a small percentage, it highlights the danger that sports players face and that cardiac arrests in sports clubs are a higher risk than first considered.

Having a defibrillator at your local sport club could help save someones life. Their intelligent technology makes them easy to use meaning you don’t need to be first aid trained to administer life saving care. With a variety available from automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) with clear verbal and written instructions to help guide you through each step, to defibrillators with a long life of up to five years, it’s easy to find the best defibrillator for your sports club.

You can never opt for a defibrillator too soon, someone playing at a sports club will never know if or when they will suffer from a cardiac arrest. It could be tomorrow, in a years time or five years time but, having an AED in every sports club gives peace of mind knowing that should the unfortunate event of a cardiac arrest happen, you are prepared.