“Around the world there is a condition which affects millions of people each year, where life-saving treatment is possible but in a startling number of cases it is not received in time… I am referring, here, to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. My proposal is that we use the cars in our communities to drastically increase access to defibrillators and save lives.”
Jonathan David Harris CBE
The problem
In the UK, an estimated 27,000 people die each year after suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Currently, the survival rate is shockingly low – less than 10%. However, when defibrillation is delivered within 3-5 minutes this can increase survival chances as much as 70%. Modern portable defibrillators are simple to use. No experience is needed. Open the box and follow the verbal instructions. So, why aren’t they being used more often? A key issue is accessibility.
The solution
Given that around 80% of cardiac arrests occur at home, there is a need to think beyond public spaces. We need to find additional places for these defibrillators to go – places that are accessible and safe, while also being cost-effective (bulk purchasing will drastically reduce costs), with a servicing element built in. The Jonathan Harris proposal is for all new cars to include a portable defibrillator as standard.
REPORT: Cutting cardiac arrest deaths
The installation of defibrillators by car manufacturers in all new vehicles in the UK would dramatically improve cardiac arrest survival rates. It would help to ensure rapid access to defibrillation for the vast majority of the population, given the country’s widespread vehicle ownership.
Discover more in this 2024 report commissioned by Jonathan Harris:
A global issue
The serious issue of deaths due to cardiac arrest is, of course, not limited to the UK. Across the globe, an estimated 3.7 million people die each year after suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Greater access to defibrillators would benefit the global population.
This is why Jonathan Harris is calling on car manufacturers around the world to include defibrillators as standard in their new vehicles. Now is the time to act.
