Mitchell O’Connor urges public to contribute to defibrillator debate

Fine Gael TD for Dún Laoghaire, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has today called on members of the public to contribute to a HIQA consultation assessing public access defibrillation. This report will be presented to the Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar TD to inform decision making on the Public Health (Availability of Defibrillators) Bill 2013.

“A defibrillator is a machine which applies an electric current to the chest or heart wall to control heart fibrillation and for every one minute delay in defibrillation, the survival rate of a cardiac arrest victim decreases by 7 to 10 per cent. Defibrillation, combined with CPR and activating emergency medical services, offer the best chance of saving a life in the event of a cardiac arrest. This consultation process aims to advise on the best public access defibrillation programme for Ireland and I would encourage all interested parties to contribute.

“HIQA’s report will take into account the effectiveness and safety of a number of options; they will consider placing Automated External Defibrillator (AEDs) in community spaces, and will look at the medical benefits and budget impact.

“An AED is a small portable device which can be used to restore normal heart rhythm to someone who had undergone a cardiac arrest, it is essential that we select the best premises and the best practices for the use of these devices.

“It is proposed that AEDs will be placed in schools, community centres, airports, Garda stations, cinemas and many other busy locations. HIQA are asking people to give their opinion on how they feel AEDs could be most effectively used. The public consultation on the health technology assessment of public access defibrillation will run until 17^th October 2014 .”