06/12/2012

GPs Should Be Equipped With Defibrillators

Hundreds of lives could be saved if family doctors were equipped with defibrillators, according to new research published today.

The findings show the results of an experiment that involved giving 500 GPs a defibrillator, an electronic devices which sends an electric shock to the heart of someone in a sudden cardiac arrest.

They were also given proper training on how to use the device and shown how to deal with sudden cardiac arrest by using it to shock the heart into stopping an extremely rapid, irregular heartbeat.

The findings, published in the Health Research Board's Picture of Health, a collection of new studies, showed that, if all GPs were given the devices, it would mean an increase in the numbers of people who survive cardiac arrest.

Around 3,000 to 5,000 people die annually from sudden cardiac events, some of which might not be fatal if they were treated on time. The findings from the MERIT project involved giving the machines to selected doctors over five years.

Prof Gerard Bury, Professor of General Practice at University College Dublin, who led the study said: "We know how to fix ventricular fibrillation, but fixing it is completely and utterly time-dependent.

(H)


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