£360k lifesaving gift to hospital

8:55am Tuesday 17th April 2007

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THE Friends of the Royal United Hospital in Bath have donated £360,000 to buy 60 new, state-of-the-art defibrillators.

The defibrillators, deliver a high voltage shock to the heart which can restore an abnormal heart rhythm back to normal, will be used in all clinical areas of the hospital.

They are the singular most important item of equipment in saving peoples lives after a cardiac arrest.

On average the RUH has around one call per day to the cardiac arrest team.

The new defibrillators will enable the patient to receive improved care before the arrival of the team.

Lead intensive therapy unit (ITU) clinician and consultant anaesthetist Jerry Nolan said: "We are absolutely delighted that the League of Friends agreed to fund these state-of-the-art defibrillators.

"The new defibrillators are shock advisory, which means that they explain to ward staff what needs to be done. The defibrillator analyses the heart rhythm and advises on the correct course of treatment. This means that staff can deliver an electric shock to the heart straight away, without waiting for a doctor to arrive. These defibrillators also charge up rapidly, which enables a shock to be given quickly. The faster a shock can be given, the more likely it is to be effective."

Chairman of the Hospital Friends Tessa Berridge said: "The Friends were seeking to finance some urgently needed medical equipment, during our 50th anniversary year. We were delighted to respond to the request for the life-saving defibrillators, which will be placed in every ward. This is one more thing for the Friends to celebrate in supporting the dedicated care given to patients in the RUH."