 An 80-year-old man is alive today thanks to a well-placed AED and the
quick response of the trained worker of the local shopping centre where
the incident took place. The victim stopped breathing and collapsed
outside of a vineyard shop in Haverfordwest, Wales, suffering from
sudden cardiac arrest. With the save, Welsh officials and rescue
personnel are taking the incident to express the importance of AED
placement and training.
The Welsh Assembly provided the AED to the Haverfordwest community in 2006, in conjunction with the Health Commission Wales and the Welsh Ambulance Service. Mike Davies, the man responsible for reviving the victim, was trained by the Welsh Ambulance Service.
"Having defibrillators to hand where people are likely to collapse or where large crowds gather is crucial," said Claire O'Neill, the Community Resuscitation Manager at the British Heart Foundation. "Many more people can be resuscitated successfully if defibrillation is given within around four minutes of someone collapsing."
"We pioneered the placement of defibrillators in the community and training local people how to use them and we know our efforts have already saved hundreds of lives," continued O'Neill.
"Hopefully it will be the last time I'll use it," said Davies, who went back to work as usual after the save. "It was a case of just do it. It was surreal, yes, but it had to be done. It did take a bit of time to sink in. I put the machine on and let the machine do it. The adrenaline was pumping and you do what you can."
We congratulate Mike Davies for his bravery and recent save; we wish the speediest of recoveries for the 80-year-old victim and wish him and his family all of our best; and lastly, we congratulate the Health Commission Wales and Welsh Ambulance Service for their efforts in providing their communities the best in safety and preparedness.
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