We trained more than 600 people to use an AED in one day

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a life-saving piece of equipment used to shock someone who is in cardiac arrest. An AED is the only definitive treatment for someone in cardiac arrest and can increase survival rates from below 10% to over 74% if used promptly.

An AED is only effective when used within minutes of collapse, for this reason it is vital that anyone responding to a cardiac arrest has the confidence to act decisively.

For Restart a Heart Day 2024, Imperative Training along with our partners at defibshop and North West Ambulance Service, set up at the Trafford Centre

Restart a Heart Day

October 16 each year marks Restart a Heart Day, a date created to raise awareness around Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and increase survival rates through education on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an AED.

Almost 100,000 people die from SCA each year in the UK, many of these deaths could be prevented with timely intervention from a bystander. CPR needs to be commenced within minutes to prevent permanent brain damage and death.

What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)?

Sudden Cardiac Arrest refers to the sudden cessation of an effective heart rhythm, and results in immediate loss of consciousness and breathing to stop. The most common cause of SCA is an irregular heart rhythm called Ventricular Fibrillation, this is where the hearts’ chambers quiver in an unorganised way, meaning blood isn’t being pumped effectively .

Death will occur within minutes of Sudden Cardiac Arrest without CPR and an AED. Bystanders and witnesses to a cardiac arrest must act immediately to allow the casualty the best chance at survival.

Currently in the UK, less than 1 in 10 people survive an Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA). These worrying numbers will only improve when the wider public is better educated and prepared to step in and help when a cardiac arrest strikes.

Our day at the Trafford Centre

Imperative Training and North West Ambulance Service set up six CPR manikins alongside a range of defibrillator training units in the thoroughfare of the Trafford Centre, encouraging shoppers who passed by to get involved with CPR on manikins and give them the opportunity to test their knowledge. Demonstrations on AEDs were also given.

From 10am to 10pm, we trained 608 in how to respond to a cardiac arrest, including a survey to determine if a cardiac arrest is possible, giving CPR to buy time, and using an AED once the device arrives.

Lyndsey Hope, Managing Director of Imperative Training and defibshop said: “To be able to equip so many people with these skills is incredible, every one of those 608 people could potentially save the life of someone around them if the worst should happen.

“The goal is ultimately for everyone to understand how to respond to a cardiac emergency and ensure AEDs are widely available for the public to use.”

Imperative Training 

Imperative Training has been committed to training people in life-saving skills for over two decades, training over 10,000 people each year.

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