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JOE’S JOG 2020 SADLY CANCELLED

Posted: Tue, 24 Mar 2020

JOE'S JOG 2020 SADLY CANCELLED

It is with a heavy heart that for 2020 we will have to cancel Joe's Jog, scheduled for 16^th June. Following the government's...

DMUFC & friends on TARGET to raise awareness of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome #SADS @ football fest 2020 in aid of JHMT

Posted: Sun, 09 Feb 2020

A HUGE THANKS to all members of the DMU Men's Football Club and members of DMU student community for putting in another CHAMPION EFFORT at this year's...

New defibrillator will help Sileby Town FC to become heartsafe

Posted: Tue, 28 Jan 2020

ONE of Leicestershire's longest-serving community football clubs is well on the way to becoming 'heartsafe' thanks to support from local councillors and...

Upcoming Events

Day I. Monday 28 September: Importance of CPR and AED

Mon, 28 Sep 2020

If you find that somebody is not breathing, they have had a cardiac arrest. If a defibrillator is used and effective CPR is performed within 3-5 minutes of cardiac arrest, the chance of survival increases from 6% to 74%!!! Only 22% of people in the UK would be confident in performing CPR on a stranger. This statistic has to change in society as a whole for lives to be saved. Anybody can give them a chance to live. Find out how JHMT is raising awareness of recognition of cardiac arrest and how to perform basic CPR and AED use. You could be a life saver!

There is a defibrillator closer to you than you may think. It's a good idea to find out the closest one to your home, school, place of work, or any place that you go regularly. You will usually find a one at public places, like schools, your local Co-op, leisure centres and sports stadiums. There are apps like GoodSAM Responder and Staying Alive which you can use to help you.

Most importantly, anyone can do CPR and use a defibrillator. There is no requirement to be medically trained. Any member of the public could use a defibrillator to deliver a potentially life-saving shock to a patient. The defibrillator itself will guide you.

There is also not an age limit. Basic life support skills including resuscitation and defibrillation are going to become part of the UK's National Curriculum. If you are strong enough to push on a chest and are able to follow instructions from the defibrillator, you are able to perform these skills.

Below is an introductory video with a simple demonstration of CPR and the use of a defibrillator. Later this week we will be posting content across our social media channels about sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS). We will talk in more detail about cardiac arrest in children and young adults, but the message throughout is consistent: anybody can give somebody in cardiac arrest the chance to live.

Key Links:

Day 2. Tuesday 29 September: Young Cardiac Arrest HAPPENS

Tue, 29 Sep 2020

We often consider young people to be the healthiest segment of society. However, 12-16 young people aged 14-35 years die each week in the UK of a cardiac condition where cardiac arrest can be the first presentation of the disease! These deaths have a devastating impact on friends, family members and the community at large. We need to recognise that cardiac arrest can happen in the young, be a position to position to save those who have suffered cardiac arrest through early CPR and AED use, and provide support for survivors of cardiac arrest and their family members.

You're young, you're invincible, you're fit and you're sporty.

Sometimes you have to sit down for a short time because your heart is racing, but you think nothing of it. Recently you fainted but you're not sure it was because you hardly had any breakfast.

Then one day you wake up in the hospital, with your parents next to you. The look on their faces tells you that something terrible has happened. They tell you that you had a cardiac arrest while you were playing hockey.

And they tell you that the coach and a parent resuscitated you and gave you an electric shock with a defibrillator.

A roller-coaster of events follow: Your life has changed forever. But you are still young, you are still here, you and your family have lots of tests and you find out you will have to learn to live with the knowledge that this could happen again.

You need an operation to implant an internal defibrillator so that your life can be saved if you ever have another cardiac arrest. Your parents watch you all the time, you feel like you can't move, can't get on with your life.

But a year later you look back and your life is back on track. You are alive! And you are aware of what may happen to you, but now you feel safe because everything is being done to make sure that you are safe and your ICD is there to resuscitate you if anything happened again.

Day 3. Wednesday 30 September: Message to sports coaches and teachers

Wed, 30 Sep 2020

Exercise is unquestionably the best means available for cardiovascular disease prevention. It is free, readily available, and is not associated with side effects. However, exercise can precipitate cardiac arrest in those harbouring certain cardiovascular conditions. It is everyone's responsibility to ensure that everywhere that exercise takes place are heart-safe to protect individuals from sudden cardiac death. Awareness of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early deployment of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) is very important. Two large studies in recreational athletes have shown that prompt bystander CPR and early defibrillation was associated with a three-fold increase in survival from exercise-related sudden cardiac arrest! Sport England, in collaboration with JHMT and BHF, are championing the push for clubs at all levels to reduce the potential disaster should anyone playing sport collapse as a result of cardiovascular disease.

Find out more on how your sports club can become heart-safe as part of a medical action plan throughout SADS week and through the JHMT website.

Key Links

So How Can The JHMT Help?

The JHMT have pioneered the Joe's Mini Heartstart for Sports programme which provides free training for club members, supporters, coaches and officials which is endorsed by BHF and Leicester City Council. They also provide help and support to Leicester and Leicestershire community sports clubs who are wanting to purchase a defibrillator. Information on cost, choosing the right defibrillator and how to purchase including useful contacts can be found at: https://www.jhmt.org.uk/community-aeds

Stay Ahead Of The Game - Don't let it take a cardiac emergency before taking steps to be PREPARED for #SCA

JHMT advocate the need for sports clubs, groups and organisations at all levels to be prepared and ready to deal with a cardiac emergency. Players and club officials, in addition to club coaches and volunteers, have a vital role to play by knowing how to apply CPR and how to use a defibrillator.

JHMT is also very committed to maximising the availability of Defibrillators to the wider community. In essence, rather than having the Defibrillator locked away in a pavilion and therefore inaccessible for much of the time, JHMT seeks to actively encourage the placing of defibrillators in an external Cabinet so that it is available to the wider community 24/7. This encouragement includes, where circumstances are suitable, donating an external Cabinet to the Club, with the only cost to the Club being that of fitting (including an associated electrical feed for the defibrillator).

SCA happen to Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime and any AGE– including seemingly fit and healthy young people, 12-35 years old due to undiagnosed heart conditions like SADS. Recognising any warning signs and acting promptly (with more people trained in basic CPR skills and being familiar with and having quick access to a defibrillator, including players, coaches, officials and having quick access to an AED) can mean the difference between life and death.

To find out more on how Joe's Trust (JHMT) can help your club/ organisation to create a heart safe sporting and community environment go to https://www.jhmt.org.uk/impact

"Wherever sport is played, a defibrillator should be on site and readily accessible. When every second counts, it could be the difference between life and death. Immediate CPR is crucial whilst the defibrillator is brought to the patient and it's also vital that as many people as possible have CPR skills, including players, officials and spectators as they may be the closest to where someone has collapsed." – Charles Poole – JHMT

Why does my club need an AED?

There is a lot of research which has shown that prompt CPR and early defibrillation gives better survival. In the UK survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is under 10%. Having an AED at your pitches, clubhouse or with the coaches enables much quicker defibrillation should disaster strike. In many sports areas if you don't have a AED on site then, on average, it will take between 8 and 16 min to run to a AED and back. If it takes 8 minutes the chance of survival is 20%. With a defibrillator onsite this delay may be more like 2-3 minutes giving a survival rate 70-80%. Don't Be Caught Out!