Use an AED to help save a life

Canterbury League Club and Heart of the Nation have partnered together to use a $30,000 club donation to purchase and install defibrillators across the club with the aim of increasing the rate of sudden cardiac arrest survival.

Community education, training and accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs) within one minute of anyone’s locations is key to achieving Heart of the Nation’s mission. Having rapid access to an AED and providing defibrillation within the first few minutes of a sudden cardiac arrest increases the chance of survival by over 70%, helping keep sudden cardiac arrest patients alive until the paramedics can arrive.

Approximately 27,000 Australians suffer cardiac arrest each year, with around 75-80% occurring at home.

“The design of these AEDs make it easy to use as they are a small, portable machines that can be stored anywhere and provide easy-to-follow instructions,” said Peter Winchester, Chairman of Canterbury League Club.

Heart of the Nation also have a mobile phone app which shows the locations of all of their bright yellow AEDs in any local area – the bronze icon shows an AED which is available 24/7, while the red icon shows an AED which is available only during limited hours.

“It is clear that there is an urgent need for greater awareness and action for the use of defibrillators,” said Chairman Peter Winchester. “We’re delighted to help Heart of the Nation’s mission to increase the widespread access to AEDs as they can save many lives.”

For more information, watch the video below where Greg Page, Founder of Heart of the Nation, goes through a short training demo on how to use an AED.