Morpeth Tennis Club

If someone you are playing tennis with collapses or you see anyone else in the environs of the clubhouse at Longhirst collapse, it could be that they are suffering a cardiac arrest.  In such a case you can help deliver potentially life-saving aid with the AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) that is located just inside the entrance to the clubhouse.

According to the Resuscitation Council UK, 61% of people say that they aren't confident enough to use a defibrillator.  However, defibrillators are made to be used by anyone, regardless of their background, and early CPR (chest compressions) along with defibrillation significantly increases survival rates.

When you take the defibrillator out of its cabinet on the wall of the clubhouse and switch the unit on, a voice from the defibrillator takes you through the steps that you need to perform.  These include:

• Applying two sticky pads to the patient's chest, so that the defibrillator can assess the patient's heart and deliver an electric shock if necessary.
• Instructing you to perform CPR by linking your hands and pressing firmly on the patient's chest in accordance with a rhythmic pulse that the unit emits.

For more in-depth instructions for the specific defibrillator in the clubhouse, see this document.