Defibrillator returned to Blackwood after being vandalised for the fourth time

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A life-saving defibrillator has been returned to Blackwood High Street after the casing housing the machine was vandalised in August.

Blackwood Town Council clerk John Hold previously told Caerphilly Observer that the £1,300 piece of equipment had been vandalised for a fourth time.

The town council has now announced the machine, which is used to restart someone’s heart, is back in its new box next to Maxime Cinema.

Currently in Wales, just 5% of people who have a cardiac arrest outside of hospital survive.

Survival rates fall by 10% every minute without CPR or a defibrillator. By using a defibrillator within three minutes of a cardiac arrest, a person’s chance of survival can be increased by as much as 70%.

Where are the nearest defibrillators to me?

How to use a defibrillator

• Step 1: Turn the defibrillator on by pressing the green button and follow its instructions.
• Step 2: Peel off the sticky pads and attach them to the patient’s skin, one on each side of the chest, as shown in the picture on the defibrillator.
• Step 3: Once the pads have been attached, stop CPR and don’t touch the patient. The defibrillator will then analyse the patient’s heart rhythm.
• Step 4: The defibrillator will assess whether a shock is needed and if so, it will tell you to press the shock button. An automatic defibrillator will shock the patient without prompt. Do not touch the patient while they are being shocked.
• Step 5: The defibrillator will tell you when the shock has been delivered and whether you need to continue CPR.
• Step 6: Continue with chest compressions and rescue breaths until the patient shows signs of life or the defibrillator tells you to stop so it can analyse the heartbeat again.

Source: British Heart Foundation