STAFF at the Cresta Court Hotel in Altrincham are equipped to save lives, thanks to the donation of a defibrillator from Altrincham Rotary Club.


Employees have also received training from the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) so they can feel confident using the life-saving equipment should it be needed.


However, training is not actually necessary as the automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are so easy to use that ‘you cannot go wrong’, according to NWAS chain of survival coordinator, Sara Harris.


Sara, who trained the Cresta staff, explained that a defibrillator is only used on someone who is in cardiac arrest i.e. not breathing – such as Bolton footballer, Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a massive cardiac arrest during a game and was technically dead for more than an hour.


She also reassured staff that an AED will only work on someone in cardiac arrest, so a person using a defibrillator cannot cause a patient any harm.


“Someone in cardiac arrest is already having a very bad day, so you can’t make it any worse by using a defib, you can only save their life,” said Sara.


She added: “The placement of the AEDs is part of an NWAS initiative to install defibrillators where there could be a higher risk of a cardiac arrest occurring.
 

“This includes sports facilities, shopping centres, transport links and others where there is a high volume of visitors.


“The placement of these defibrillators is already saving lives across the North West and just as importantly is raising awareness on CPR and why it is so important to recognise a cardiac arrest and start providing help.”


Visit cardiacsmart.nwas.nhs.uk for more information.