In the last two or three years, these life-saving machines are being installed in public places. Local town halls have been actively pursuing installing these, and they need to be congratulated on this project. But in the final analysis, they are only as good as the person helping a heart attack victim. It could be you, but do you know where the nearest one is to you? Do you know how to use it? A life may depend on you. These remarkable machines save lives, but they can’t do it without help.

Basic first aid is quite easy to learn, will you take a few minutes to learn? The UK-based British Heart Foundation have a very easy to use training video which you can use to learn basic cardiac arrest techniques. It takes only 15 minutes; you will need your smartphone and a pillow. It’s called RevivR. If you are reading this online simply Goggle ‘RevivR’, its really simple and straightforward.

The unit can instruct you in English if required

The company that installs these machines have assured me that all, if not nearly all, the machines will offer you instructions in English as well as Portuguese. Each year, over 30,000 people have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Less than 1 in 10 survive. Giving CPR promptly and using a defibrillator can more than double someone’s chance of survival. It might be all down to you!

What to do

Call the Emergency Number: Immediately dial 112, the single European emergency number in Portugal, and clearly explain the situation to the operator. Inform them that you have an unresponsive, non-breathing person and you are preparing to use an AED.

Locate and access the AED: Ask someone to locate the nearest AED and bring it to the scene. In Portugal, AEDs are often found in easily accessible, green or yellow cabinets in public places like train stations, airports, supermarkets, shopping centres, gyms, and village halls. If the cabinet is locked, the emergency operator (112) can provide the access code

Credits: TPN; Author: Paul Luckman;

Analyse and Deliver Shock: The AED will analyse the person's heart rhythm and determine if a shock is necessary. If a shock is advised: The AED will instruct you to stand clear. Make sure no one is touching the person and follow the prompts to deliver the shock (either by pressing a flashing button on semi-automatic AEDs or automatically with fully automatic devices).

The suppliers in Portugal have produced an excellent video, it is in Portuguese but it’s very simple to follow.


You can also see what’s in the AED machine box here.

You can do it, but be prepared

The AED box might be slightly different, but they all do the same thing: save lives.

What to do

  1. Locate the nearest AED machine to you, just in case you ever need one
  2. Learn how to administer CPR by taking a few minutes to watch the RevivR video
  3. Watch the video so you know what to expect

It is very unlikely that you would be called on to help a heart attack victim, but just in case, why not invest thirty minutes to learn what to do? You might save a life. Remember the Boy Scouts motto, ‘Be Prepared’.

Author

Resident in Portugal for 50 years, publishing and writing about Portugal since 1977. Privileged to have seen, firsthand, Portugal progress from a dictatorship (1974) into a stable democracy. 

Paul Luckman