Using a defibrillator can increase sudden cardiac arrest survival chances as much as five-fold - so why aren't there more life-saving machines around? Lisa Salmon investigates

MOST public buildings and even large houses have a fire extinguisher, which is sensible, considering that around 350 people die in fires in the UK every year.

Yet, 100,000 die from sudden cardiac arrest – and thousands of them could be saved, if they collapsed close to a defibrillator. But how many public access defibrillators (PADs) have you seen in a high street or public building?

While CPR alone (chest compressions and rescue breaths) saves around nine per cent of people who suffer from a sudden cardiac arrest, CPR and using an automated external defibrillator (AED) increases the chance of survival five-fold to 50 per cent.

The computerised machines, which give an electric shock to the heart to return it to normal rhythm, are a crucial life-saving tool after sudden cardiac arrest. This isn't the same as a heart attack, although a heart attack can lead to a cardiac arrest.

Most heart attacks are caused by coronary heart disease leading to blocked arteries, which starve the heart muscle of blood, and damage it. A cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops pumping blood around the body, causing unconsciousness and breathing to stop. Its most common cause is the abnormal heart rhythm ventricular fibrillation (VF), which occurs when the the heart's electrical activity becomes so chaotic, it stops pumping and quivers, or 'fibrillates', instead.

There are various causes of VF, including heart health problems, lack of oxygen – for example, if you're choking – the use of recreational drugs like cocaine, or losing a lot of blood.

The UK Resuscitation Council says 30,000 people a year have cardiac arrests outside hospital, and warns: "With each minute that passes in cardiac arrest before defibrillation, chances of survival are reduced by about ten per cent."

There are currently a number of initiatives trying to dramatically increase the number of defibrillators available in public areas. Defibs Save Lives, run by the heart rhythm charity Arrhythmia Alliance, is running two public access defibrillator campaigns – Hearts & Goals and the Bernard Gallacher Defibrillator Campaign.

The Gallacher campaign, which supports the placement of public access defibrillators at UK golf clubs, was established after former Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher collapsed during a dinner at a Scottish hotel in 2013. He'd suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, but the hotel had a defibrillator and immediate shocks, coupled with CPR, saved his life.

The Hearts & Goals initiative began after Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba had a cardiac arrest and collapsed during an FA Cup quarter-final match in March 2012.

Muamba was treated on the pitch with multiple shocks and CPR, and although his heart stopped beating for 78 minutes, the prompt treatment saved his life. The former footballer now helps the Arrhythmia Alliance place life-saving AEDs across the country.

Muamba also backed The Northern Echo’s A Chance To Live campaign to increase the number of North-East gyms with defibrillators, which this newspaper launched in 2012.

The campaign followed a survey which found that most private gyms in the North-East did not have defibrillators at that time.

Since then more public access defibrillators have been installed across the region, from Boldron, near Barnard Castle, where the machine is housed in an old phone box to Muker, in Swaledale

Trudie Lobban, founder of the Arrhythmia Alliance, says: "Defibrillators present a vital, life-saving addition to any community, school or business. When used alongside CPR, they massively increase the chance of someone surviving sudden cardiac arrest from five per cent to 50 per cent or more."

The charity works alongside ambulance services to support schemes to provide public access defibrillators, and ensure the best outcomes after sudden cardiac arrests.

AEDs are designed to be used by people with no experience, as the device talks them clearly through the process, and all decisions as to whether or not to shock the patient's heart are taken by the machine.

Also, after ringing 999, a call centre operator will talk rescuers through how to use the AED.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) says there's limited information about the current rate of bystander defibrillation outside hospital, although one study in the South of England reported it in just 1.74 per cent of cases.

While this low figure will be linked to lack of access to a defibrillator, and possibly not knowing what to do, the BHF stresses that while waiting for the emergency services and a defibrillator, delivering CPR increases survival chances after cardiac arrest because it keeps blood circulating to vital organs. It also increases the likelihood of the heart remaining in a 'shockable' rhythm rather than deteriorating to a 'non-shockable' rhythm (flat lining).

The BHF has funded more than 13,000 defibrillators in the community since 1996.

For more information, visit arrhythmiaalliance.org.uk and aeddonate.co.uk