Bowls defibrillator saves cyclist
When Carrum Bowling Club purchased a defibrillator two years ago, they thought it might help an ageing bowler succumbing to heat.
But a peninsula cyclist was a lucky beneficiary of the club’s foresight to invest in the live-saving equipment, after suffering cardiac arrest in the right place at the right time.
Reported by 3AW Melbourne, the man was riding past the club, which is situated 33km south-east of Melbourne’s central business district, on December 10 when he suffered the attack and fell from his bike.
Bowls clubs members noticed motorists performing CPR on the man and sprung into action.
A first-aid trained bowler kept the cyclist alive with the defibrillator until paramedics arrived.
According to Red Cross Australia, defibrillators are crucial to save a life prior to ambulance arrival, with the best chance of survival for those experiencing cardiac arrest being effective CPR combined with early defibrillation.
The cyclist was placed in an induced coma and taken to hospital where it was discovered a major artery was 99 per cent closed.
After a stent operation and two weeks in intensive care, the man last week went home, where he is still recovering.
The quick-thinking use of the defibrillator has been credited for saving the man’s life.
It was the first time the defibrillator had been used since it was purchased by the club two years ago.
“(We bought it) just because of the age of our members basically, our average age is about 70,” Carrum president Phil Kelly told presenters Kate Stevenson and Peter Maher on 3AW Breakfast.
“We’ve had quite a few people get affected by the heat.
“It brings home that there should be more of these around.
“They would save more lives.”
Through a Bowls Australia partnership with APL Healthcare, all 1,937 bowls clubs around the nation will be provided with a special discount of $650 per unit on the A10 HeartOn defibrillator device as part of a joint Defib2SaveLives promotion.
Click here to learn more about the partnership, and how your club can acquire a defibrillator device at the discounted price.
Caption: The idyllic Carrum Bowling Club, where members used a defibrillator device to save a passing cyclist who suffered cardiac arrest.
