Save a life - Use a Defibrillator

News - 16 December 2022

A defibrillator is a machine that is used to restart someone's heart when they are suffering from cardiac arrest.

Defibrillators are increasingly available, including at railway stations, sports centres, supermarkets, and other public places.
Picture of a defibrillator

You do not need specialist skills, or even first aid knowledge, to use a defibrillator - the machine itself will tell you what to do and when.

When someone's heart has stopped beating, there are only a few moments available in which to save their life. A defibrillator can make all the difference!

The defibrillator delivers an electric shock to the patient's body with the intention of getting their heart to restart. The defibrillator works out the best time to deliver the shock and decides whether it has been successful. You can keep applying the defibrillator until an ambulance arrives to help.

The National Defibrillator Network, set up by the British Heart Foundation in partnership with the Association of Ambulance Service Chiefs, St John Ambulance and the Resuscitation Council UK, wants to alert everyone to the location of defibrillators near them.

Find a defibrillator near you
Find out more about defibrillators

Read about how defibrillators have helped

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