Elche school is first to install a defibrillator

LAUDE NEWTON COLLEGE has become the first school in Elche to have a defibrillator. Eight members of school staff with prior first-aid knowledge will take part in the training to use this equipment.
The school has installed the defibrillator to be able to save the life of anyone who may have a sudden heart attack in school, and they are the first centre in the city of Elche to have one.
A sudden death due to a heart attack can happen to anyone, at any time, anywhere. The first hour following the onset of the first symptoms, is preceded by the loss of consciousness, although the first 10 minutes are the most crucial to try and save a person’s life and that’s the time the defibrillator is needed to perform a correct cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
This equipment is designed to be used by non-medical staff, enabling them to assist the victim within the first few minutes following a heart attack, thereby increasing the chances of a successful resuscitation and staff members will attend a course to learn how to use this equipment correctly.
According to the Spanish Society of Medicine and Work Safety, it is estimated that each year, in Spain, over 30,000 heart attacks occur. This equates to one heart attack every 20 minutes, causing four times more deaths than traffic accidents. Over 85 per cent of sudden deaths are due to heart attacks of which 90 per cent occur outside hospital environments.