Here at The Courtyard Clinic we like to look after more than just your teeth, we are concerned with the total body health of our patients.
We have recently invested in a defibrillator (also known as an AED: automated external defibrillator) for the practice. An AED is a portable electronic device that can be used by anyone, it automatically diagnoses the life threatening signs of a heart attack and is able to treat them through defibrillation. Defibrillation is the application of an electrical current which stops the heart attack, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective healthy rhythm.
It has been proven by the British Heart Foundation that AEDs are considerably more effective than CPR alone and that when someone goes into cardiac arrest (a heart attack), every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces their chances of survival by 10%. This means that the sooner the AED is applied the higher the persons chance of survival
AEDs are not compulsory in dental practices yet, however we at The Courtyard Clinic felt that it was in our patients best interests to have one installed incase the worst happens.