Would you know what to do in a cardiac emergency? Ask our expert

[EllieSmumsnet]

It’s a common belief when we hear about sudden cardiac arrest or heart attacks, that it affects someone older, someone unwell, someone else. But cardiac arrest can happen at any age and as MyDefib has noted, 80% of cardiac arrests that happen outside of hospital occur at home*, where family members become the first responders.

Survivor and Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK advocate Gareth Cole is helping to challenge the myths and answer the questions many families are afraid to ask, from who’s really at risk, to what you should do in those first critical minutes and what life is like after.

As a survivor and advocate for cardiac arrest awareness, he is partnering with MyDefib to turn awareness into action at home - empowering families to respond confidently to cardiac arrest before it happens, with the mission of saving lives.

Do you have a question about heart health, heart attacks, or cardiac arrests? Gareth is here to answer them.

Share your question by 17/04/026 for a chance to win a £200 voucher (T&Cs).

References - *
mydefib.co.uk/about/

About Gareth:
Gareth knows firsthand the challenges of life after cardiac arrest.

As a survivor, he has turned his experience into a passion for supporting others on their recovery journey. Through his role with Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK, he helps raise awareness, advocate for better aftercare, and foster a strong, supportive community for survivors and their families.

Gareth believes that recovery is more than just surviving—it’s about reclaiming life, finding purpose, and connecting with others who truly understand. His positivity, resilience, and dedication make him an inspiring figure in the cardiac arrest survivor community.

The ICD is there to administer a shock, or shocks, if your family member is unfortunate enough to have another episode. ICDs are generally very reliable and very effective and they are designed to fire whist the patient is still conscious. If however the ICD doesn't fire, or the shock doesn't maintain consciousness, the yes, you should definitely attempt CPR and find a defibrillator in exactly the same way that you would for a patient who doesn't have an ICD.

The short answer to your question is yes, you can, but it takes time and effort. Medication to restore heart function after a cardiac event is significantly approved from even a decade ago, but it can only do so much. The rest is down to lifestyle choices and commitment, however there is no reason why a patient cant become as healthy, or even more healthy, than they were prior to the event.

What you have written here is entirely correct and doesn't need any further input from me ! Like you, I do get frustrated when people refer to cardiac arrests as heart attacks, and vice versa, but after more than a decade in this field I do understand it to a certain extent. Most people don't know the difference unless they have been directly affected by one or the other (or both) and honestly, why would they. If the media misreport it then my hackles go up !

Sadly you are absolutely correct, in the UK women are roughly 10% less likely to receive bystander CPR than men are. This is often down to fear of being accused of, or prosecuted for, inapproprita touching. Cultural differences also come into play here. One important thing to note is that, whilst the UK does not have a "Good Samaritan" law as such, there hasn't been a single case of someone saving a life, or attempting to save a life, being successfully prosecuted for inappropriate touching, in fact courts tend to take a very dim vew of the accuser, and have even ordered compensation to be paid to the accused. Incidentally, its not just CPR thats the issue here. Even if CPR is performed defibrillator pads are supposed to be attached to bare skin which means removing the bra and many men won't do that if the patient is not known to them. This is another area that needs to be addressed. There is a fantastic charity called Bra Off Defib On (BODO for short) that is doing really well at raising awereness in this area but there is still a lot more to be done.

I can’t believe you’re trying to flog a home defib for hundreds of pounds to someone to use on their elderly frail mother. If you were any kind of ‘expert’ you’d know the difference between a ‘cardiac arrest’ and a natural death. Shameful to prey on someone’s anxieties like this and deprive their loved one of a dignified death.

Thank you for the kind words. I've been out of cardiology for about 25-30 years.

Confession time, I did once defib someone who was still conscious. He was in VF and the printout of the ECG showed I'd defibbed less then 30 seconds after he started fibrilating.

A fairly large dose of midazolam was administered.

I've seen it once and done it once. Not fully conscious but enough for them to yelp. One was pre hospital (shocked twice), one just after arrival. Both had great outcomes.

What is worth noting in this thread was that with the pre hospital arrest, was that the reason he was still in CPR induced consciousness when we got to him was due to the high quality chest compressions his niece was doing. Good bystander CPR really does make a difference! He was discharged from hospital 5 days later.