Published on 14/02/2017
This Valentine’s Day we want to highlight how you can improve your crew’s welfare and safety on-board. You are responsible for protecting the lives of your crew at sea, and you know that a happy and secure crew is a productive one.
For the whole of February, the British Heart Foundation is raising awareness as part of their annual National Heart Month 2017. We want to join efforts in raising awareness of the heart and potential risks of coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD seems to cause most cases of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in adults and many of these adults have no signs or symptoms of CHD before having SCA.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) kills over 3 million people worldwide every year. It is the world’s biggest killer and can happen to anyone, anywhere and at any time. The term “sudden cardiac arrest” refers to when the heart suddenly stops beating. It’s no longer pumping blood around the body, and the individual suffering a sudden cardiac arrest will die unless they receive CPR.
On average 62% of all deaths on ships are heart related. If someone has a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), their chance of survival drops by 10% every minute they do not receive defibrillation. After 10 minutes, the chances of survival are extremely small. It really is a race against time.
It is recommended by Flag Authorities, Shipowners’ Associations and Seamen’s Unions that ships carry an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) on-board. With an AED on-board, defibrillation can take place within 3 minutes, and on average the chances of survival are drastically increased by up to 70%. By taking the quick action recommended, the chances of saving someone’s life is dramatically improved.
Here at Martek Marine, we are committed to helping the world’s leading ship operators to protect the people who work on their ships. We offer a specifically designed AED for the marine environment. Lifeforce AED is the world’s first defibrillator to be Type Approved by Germanischer Lloyd (GL). Tested to IP55 rating and rugged to military standards, the simple to use device can be operated by anyone in an emergency. Spoken instructions guide the user to aid the patient at each step, including a metronome for CPR cycles. The device will automatically analyse the patient and determine if a shock is required (i.e. if the problem is sudden cardiac arrest). If this is the case, the rescuer need only press one button to deliver a shock. If no shock is required, it is impossible to deliver one – so the device is incredibly safe to use. It’s that quick and easy – you can even operate it without taking your gloves off!
Is your crew prepared for a sudden cardiac arrest? To help save your crew at a push of a button today please get in touch by emailing us at [email protected] OR give us a call on one of the numbers below.