Wolverhampton Hospital chief backs Heartsafe campaign

Royal Wolverhampton Trust chief executive David Loughton has thrown his weight behind the #heartsafe15 campaign launched last week.

We are fundraising to install the lifesaving machines across the city so no one is ever too far away from emergency equipment that could save their life in the case of a cardiac arrest. Mr Loughton: "We welcome the launch of the #heartsafe15 campaign and congratulate the Express & Star on its fundraising efforts. Anything that improves the health and wellbeing of the people of Wolverhampton has our wholehearted support."

New Cross Hospital has a leading cardiology department based at its Heart and Lung Centre. Using defibrillators in the first few minutes of an arrest means the chances of resuscitation can increase by 70 per cent. With 100,000 people dying from sudden cardiac arrest in Britain every year, the need to act is great. We have teamed up with defibrillator fundraisers.

AEDdonate to launch our campaign – which is backed by West Midlands Ambulance Service and Wolverhampton council.

The defibrillators will be placed in a waterproof, secure cabinet and placed anywhere people gather. The cabinet is protected with a pin code.

Cardiac arrest is different from a heart attack.

The heart suffers an electrical malfunction, which causes it to beat irregularly. Casualties become unconscious and lose a pulse within seconds. A heart attack is triggered by a loss of blood flow through a blocked artery.

On Friday, our partners AEDdonate are encouraging businesses to take part in Wear Something Crazy Day.

Businesses or groups wanting to get involved and wanting further details can call AEDdonate on 01785 472 224.

You can also give by text message by texting 'AEDW50' to 70070 followed by how much you want to donate. Alternatively, you can make an online donation at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/wolverhampton-aed-campaign or tweet us at #heartsafe15