St John Ambulance Cymru has rebranded February as Defibruary in an attempt to continue their mission to improve the health and wellbeing of communities in Wales by encouraging people across the country to ‘Learn, Locate, Donate.’
According to research by the Resuscitation Council UK, for every minute that someone’s in cardiac arrest without receiving CPR and having a defibrillator used on them, their chance of survival decreases by 10%
There are an estimated 100,000 public access defibrillators across the UK, however, tens of thousands of these are unknown to ambulance and emergency services. Once located and registered, emergency services can direct bystanders to their nearest defibrillator and increase a person's chance of survival.
Defibrillators are normally located in workplaces and public spaces like shopping centres, community centres, and train stations. These defibrillators are known as public access defibrillators (PADs) as anyone can use them.
If you need a defibrillator in an emergency, the 999 emergency operator may be able to tell you where one is, so you can ask someone to get it. By performing CPR and using a defibrillator, you’ll give someone the best possible chance of survival.
As part of its annual Defibruary Campaign St John Ambulance Cymru is encouraging people across Wales to make sure they know where they can find their nearest defibrillator.
The Circuit is a partnership between St John Ambulance (both in England and Wales), the British Heart Foundation and the Resuscitation Council UK, providing a nationwide overview of where defibrillators can be found. Many defibrillators never get used because people are unaware of where they are located or how to access them - this costs lives.
Darren Murray, Head of Community Operations, says,
“At St John Ambulance Cymru we offer training to ensure people know how to use a defibrillator, but it’s also vital that people know where they can find one.
Using a defibrillator within three minutes of a cardiac arrest can drastically improve someone’s chance of survival, so speed is important.
A person’s chances of surviving a cardiac arrest in the community decreases by up to 10% with every passing minute; the longer the delay to the resuscitation, the worse the outcome. Knowing a defibrillator’s location can be the difference between life and death.”
The Circuit has helped map over 50,000 defibrillators in the UK and counting, and you can enter your postcode to locate the ten defibrillators closest to you using https://www.defibfinder.uk/
You can also find out about St John Ambulance Cymru’s free online Public Access Defib Awareness Course here.
Mae St John Ambulance Cymru yn annog cymunedau ledled Cymru i ddod yn fwy ymwybodol o leoliadau diffibriliwr
Mae St John Ambulance Cymru wedi ailfrandio Chwefror fel Defibrary mewn ymgais i barhau â’u cenhadaeth i wella iechyd a lles cymunedau yng Nghymru drwy annog pobl ledled y wlad i ‘Ddysgu, Lleoli, Rhoi’.
Yn ôl ymchwil gan Gyngor Dadebru’r DU, am bob munud y mae rhywun yn cael ataliad ar y galon heb dderbyn CPR a chael diffibriliwr wedi’i ddefnyddio arnynt, mae eu siawns o oroesi yn gostwng 10%.
Amcangyfrifir bod 100,000 o ddiffibrilwyr mynediad cyhoeddus ledled y DU, fodd bynnag, mae degau o filoedd o’r rhain yn anhysbys i’r gwasanaethau ambiwlans a brys. Unwaith y byddant wedi'u lleoli a'u cofrestru, gall y gwasanaethau brys gyfeirio gwylwyr at eu diffibriliwr agosaf a chynyddu siawns person o oroesi.
Mae diffibrilwyr fel arfer wedi'u lleoli mewn gweithleoedd a mannau cyhoeddus fel canolfannau siopa, canolfannau cymunedol, a gorsafoedd trên. Gelwir y diffibrilwyr hyn yn ddiffibrilwyr mynediad cyhoeddus (PADs) oherwydd gall unrhyw un eu defnyddio.
Os oes angen diffibriliwr arnoch mewn argyfwng, efallai y bydd y gweithredwr brys 999 yn gallu dweud wrthych ble mae un, fel y gallwch ofyn i rywun ei gael. Drwy berfformio CPR a defnyddio diffibriliwr, byddwch yn rhoi’r cyfle gorau posibl i rywun oroesi.
Fel rhan o’i Hymgyrch Diffibriliwr blynyddol mae Ambiwlans Sant Ioan Cymru yn annog pobl ledled Cymru i wneud yn siŵr eu bod yn gwybod ble y gallant ddod o hyd i’w diffibriliwr agosaf.
Mae’r Circuit yn bartneriaeth rhwng St John Ambulance (yng Nghymru a Lloegr), British Heart Foundation a'r UK Resuscitation Council, sy’n darparu trosolwg cenedlaethol o ble y gellir dod o hyd i ddiffibrilwyr. Nid yw llawer o ddiffibrilwyr byth yn cael eu defnyddio oherwydd nad yw pobl yn ymwybodol o ble maent wedi'u lleoli na sut i gael gafael arnynt - mae hyn yn costio bywydau.
Meddai Darren Murray, Pennaeth Gweithrediadau Cymunedol,
“Yn St John Ambulance Cymru rydym yn cynnig hyfforddiant i sicrhau bod pobl yn gwybod sut i ddefnyddio diffibriliwr, ond mae hefyd yn hanfodol bod pobl yn gwybod ble gallant ddod o hyd i un.
Gall defnyddio diffibriliwr o fewn tri munud i ataliad y galon wella siawns rhywun o oroesi yn sylweddol, felly mae cyflymder yn bwysig.
Mae siawns person o oroesi ataliad y galon yn y gymuned yn gostwng hyd at 10% gyda phob munud sy’n mynd heibio; po hiraf yr oedi i'r dadebru, y gwaethaf fydd y canlyniad. Gall gwybod lleoliad diffibriliwr fod y gwahaniaeth rhwng bywyd a marwolaeth.”
Mae’r Circuit wedi helpu i fapio dros 50,000 o ddiffibrilwyr yn y DU ac yn cyfrif, a gallwch roi eich cod post i ddod o hyd i’r deg diffibriliwr sydd agosaf atoch drwy ddefnyddio https://www.defibfinder.uk/
Gallwch hefyd gael gwybod am Gwrs Ymwybyddiaeth o Ddiffib Mynediad Cyhoeddus ar-lein St John Ambulance Cymru yma.
