Graham Sharpe, 65, suffered a cardiac arrest while cycling in Windsor during President Biden's visit. Quick CPR by police and access to a defibrillator saved his life. Tests revealed severe narrowing in two arteries, leading to double coronary artery bypass surgery. The British Heart Foundation highlighted London’s lack of public access defibrillators, with only 7.9 machines per 10,000 people. With over 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually in the UK, survival rates remain low, pointing to the necessity of more community defibrillators, especially in deprived areas.
I became very dizzy and I collapsed. I didn't know it then, but I'd had a cardiac arrest. Fortunately, because Joe Biden was in town, there were lots of police around to do CPR and there was an armed response vehicle with a defibrillator in it. All of that was on me within a couple of minutes and that's the reason why I'm here now.
When it comes to the rate of public access defibrillators per head of population, London fares worse than any other UK region. There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in the UK, but less than one in 10 people survive.
Every defibrillator holds the power to help save someone's life and is crucial in the chain of survival during a cardiac arrest. We've made progress but there are still some areas without any defibrillators at all, and these are among our most deprived communities.
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