Portable defibrillator saves life

Leamington cardiac arrest survivor tells how a portable defibrillator saved his life

Calls for more public defibrillators to save New Zealander’s lives

A Leamington man who had a cardiac arrest at his doctor’s surgery this week met the chief executive of the company who made the pocket sized public access defibrillator that likely saved his life.

Schiller Australia CEO Harry Packer met 70 year old John Barns Graham, and the team that brought him back to life, on March 18, at the medical centre where he had the arrest. Mr Packer heard Mr Barns Graham’s story first hand and presented him with a Swiss watch that he presents to everyone known to have been saved by one of his pocket, public access defibrillators (Schiller’s defibrillators are Swiss engineered.)

On January 15, Mr Barns Graham suddenly had chest and arm pains “like never before”, started sweating like mad and couldn’t keep down breakfast. Although he had a doctors’ appointment at 9amthat day, he went early, arriving at 8.30am.

Practice nurse Jane Rea said it was great teamwork, an ounce of luck and the defibrillator that saved Mr Barns Graham’s life. Ms Reay said the reception staff took him straight to see her. A nurse of 44 years, she immediately thought he was going to have a cardiac arrest. She got his GP, Dr Trevor Ryan, who happened to be meeting with the other practice doctors.

Mr Barnes-Graham arrested but staff were able to use the Schiller Easyport® pocket defibrillator in the surgery on him within 20 seconds.

“We popped the pads on and it only took one shock to bring him back,” Ms Rea said.

Mr Packer said Mr Barnes Graham will be part of a special Schiller family. He has presented 12 watches to other survivors. The most recent was to a fit, 27 year old Australian man who had an arrest while competing in a community triathlon. The man collapsed just metres from a St John’s Ambulance paramedic who was carrying a pocket Schiller defibrillator.

“There is a need for more public access defibrillators to be available in New Zealand including at medical centres, tourist, community and sporting facilities and in homes,” Mr Packer said.

Mr Packer said that although a report by St John Ambulance last year showed that New Zealand cardiac arrest patients treated by St John Ambulance have a better rate of survival than similar emergency responders in London and Australia, survival rates are still around 15 per cent (and around 18 per cent for the Wellington Free Ambulance). He said survival rates from cardiac arrest generally are around 10 per cent. According to a presentation by Tony Smith, Medical Director, St John Intensive Care Medicine Specialist, Auckland City Hospital, three people a day have a cardiac arrest outside of hospital in New Zealand and 80 percent of them occur in the home.

“An immediate response to a cardiac arrest with CPR and a defibrillator (before an ambulance can arrive) triples a person’s chances of survival,” he said.

“The defibrillator that saved John weighs just 495g and measures 12 square centimetres.”

“It is light, easy to use and actually requires no medical training to use them.”

Ms Rea said since John’s arrest, all staff at the centre have had refresher training course in using the defibrillator.

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