People in Teesside urged not to be scared to perform CPR on a woman
A Teesside midwife who survived a cardiac arrest is backing a campaign
A Teesside midwife who had a cardiac arrest 10 weeks ago and survived is urging people to not be scared of saving a woman's life.
Recent research by St John Ambulance showed that a third of the British public are afraid to give CPR to a woman because they are worried about touching breasts.
The same survey found that 38 percent of Britons said they would feel uncomfortable using a defibrillator on a woman, as its pads need to be placed on bare skin in the chest area, requiring the removal of a woman’s bra.
48 year-old Charlotte Howard, from Ingleby Barwick, said: "Obviously the CPR was excellent, the response was fabulous because I'm here and I'm alive. Please learn how to do CPR, don't feel nervous about that, they'll be grateful.
"The statistics are sobering that women are less likely to survive a sudden cardiac arrest because people are nervous about exposing their breasts or taking their bra off, but I'd say please don't worry about that. They won't mind at all. This person before you will die without your intervention.
"It's very worrying. It doesn't surprise me too much unfortunately but it makes me feel sad as that's somebody's daughter, mum, sister, wife, and it's like please give them a chance."
Yorkshire Ambulance service used female mannequins for CPR training during Restart a Heart Day in schools yesterday.
Jason Carlyon, Community Engagement Manager with Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: “In a cardiac arrest, the technique for giving CPR is the same for both women and men. The issue is that women are less likely to receive bystander CPR in public than men are, which can lead to lower survival rates. By introducing anatomically accurate female manikins into our training sessions, we can highlight this disparity and normalise CPR on all body types to help overcome common hesitation.”
Charlotte's story
48 year-old Charlotte Howard, who is a midwife at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, said: “I had been on a colleague’s leaving do and we’d had a lovely evening, I didn’t feel ill at all when I got home.
“My husband woke up in the middle of the night because I was making some strange breathing noises. I ended up having a bath and going to lie down in the spare room and when my husband came in, I had gone grey, and my pupils were fixed and dilated. He knew it was serious and instantly called 999, moved me onto the floor and started CPR."
Her husband, Phil, who also works at James Cook University Hospital, performed CPR until the North East Ambulance Service crew arrived at the same time as neighbour and Community First Responder, who had been alerted via the GoodSam app. Charlotte received three shocks before her heart rhythm was restored and was taken to North Tees Hospital for ten days, later moving to James Cook University Hospital to have an implantable defibrillator fitted. She is currently undergoing tests for Long QT Syndrome, an electrical activity disorder.
Charlotte said: “The ambulance service was amazing. It feels so humbling to know that you make a 999 call and they do everything they can to make sure that family has the best chance of a normal life together.”
The mum-of-two’s background in teaching newborn life support at North Tees and James Cook hospitals has given her a deep appreciation for the value of CPR.
“I never thought it would happen to me, I was in the best shape I had ever been, both mentally and physically, and was running about 100km a month,” she explained. “What my husband did was incredible and shows the value of CPR, it really works and I am living proof of that. I feel so lucky, that life has a sparking golden tint, and that I am blessed to see my children and loved ones for longer. He is my life-saver and my hero.”
Yorkshire Ambulance Service invites everyone to learn CPR by watching the video below: