Schoolchildren in Shropshire will learn how to 'restart a heart'

West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) and Midlands Air Ambulance Charity (MAAC) both know how critical a quick response can be to patients with heart-related conditions.

This is the message they want to get across and have joined forces to raise awareness of World Restart A Heart Day, happening on October 16.

The campaign run by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Resuscitation Council aims to train as many children as possible in CPR, so they have the ability to use this lifesaving skill should they need it.

Staff and volunteers from WMAS will be teaching CPR to thousands of schoolchildren across Shropshire and the West Midlands this month.

Each year, WMAS attends up to 4,000 cardiac arrests in the community.

Last year, 79 of the 334 heart related conditions MAAC responded to where in Shropshire.

So far this year, the charity – which operates across five counties – has attended 464 heart-related missions, with 54 in Shropshire.

WMAS community response manager, Cliff Medlicott says its staff and volunteers will be teaching CPR to children from around 200 schools on October 16.

They will visit schools and community buildings to deliver the sessions.

Mr Medlicott, who is a qualified paramedic and works in Shrewsbury, said: “By training children at school that CPR is easy to do we make sure that they aren’t afraid should it ever happen to a loved one of theirs, but we also stress that they need to act immediately.

“We know that many of the children go home and tell their parents about what they have been up to and they in turn learn the skills which increases the chances of someone surviving.

“Our staff say saving a patient in cardiac arrest is the greatest success they can have so imagine what it would be like if your child made the difference to your life.

“Whilst we will be looking to train over 25,000 children on the October 16, we also want every adult in the West Midlands to also learn this skill and also find out where their nearest defibrillator is.

"Together CPR and receiving a shock from a defibrillator as soon as possible will give the bets chance of saving a person’s life."

The BHF has highlighted that if a person suffers a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital in the UK, they have less than a one in 10 chance of surviving.

For every minute after the patient’s heart has stopped, their chance of survival also drops by 10 per cent

Ian Roberts, air operations manager for MAAC, said: “When dealing with someone who has gone into cardiac arrest, time is of the essence as they’re effectively not receiving oxygen to their vital organs, including the brain.

"When we arrive at the scene of a cardiac arrest, by ambulance, air ambulance or the critical care car, those who are likely to survive are the ones who are already receiving CPR, either by a bystander, friend or loved one.”

David Hart, of Westbury, west of Shrewsbury, knows how time critical it can be to get help.

He was airlifted to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton after suffering a heart attack in 2012.

The retired teacher said: "I was having some renovation work done to the house and thankfully the decorator was with me that day. I didn’t feel well for over a week, and on the actual day of the attack I felt extremely weary and my chest pain started to worsen, so I went for a lie down and that’s when it happened.

"It came on very quickly and was a pain like no other.”

Thanks to the swift reaction of the decorator, an ambulance was sent to the scene and Mr Hart was given immediate treatment and attached to a cardiogram to assess his condition.

However, paramedics knew that he wouldn’t survive the hour-and-a-half journey to New Cross Hospital and the Midlands Air Ambulance was called.

Mr Hart said: “I was conscious for the entire time, so remember everything very vividly.

"The paramedics were fantastic and kept talking to me to reassure me about what was happening.

"It was very surreal being taken to the famous red helicopter and then airlifted to the hospital, the transfer took just 12 minutes and I felt like I was on a film set as the doctors and nurses were ready and waiting for me when we arrived.

“I certainly took advantage of the ‘golden hour’ – if I hadn’t been airlifted and taken to the hospital so quickly, I know I wouldn’t be here today.”

Mr Hart was operated on immediately and fitted with a stent to help prevent any further problems.

He has fully recovered and thanked the charity for saving his life.

Speaking about the CPR courses running this month, he said it is a good idea for young people to learn life-saving skills.

He added: "Some knowledge is better than no knowledge.

"It would be good for them to learn CPR and even do it as a module."

To get involved in World Restart A Heart Day, call 01384 215810.

People are asked to post their training photos on social media and tag @MAA_Charity and @OFFICIALWMAS with #RestartAHeart