Call for more equal access to public defibrillators

Call for more equal access to public defibrillators People living in more deprived areas of England and Scotland live further away from an accessible defibrillator than those in wealthier areas, a study in Heart journal suggests.

Heart experts are calling for equal and quick access to the life-saving machines at all times of day and night.

They are used - alongside resuscitation or CPR - to give the best chance of survival after a cardiac arrest.

But in the poorest areas, the nearest machine is a round trip of 1.8km away. BBC News

See also:

• Automated external defibrillator location and socioeconomic deprivation in Great Britain (open access) Heart
• Nearest 24/7 defibrillators over a mile round trip in most deprived areas British Heart Foundation
• Defibrillators are too far away to save lives with the lifesaving devices an average of 19 minutes walking distance to reach, charity warns The Daily Mail
• Lack of defibrillators in Britain putting lives at risk, say researchers The Guardian