Lack of defibrillators could put 16m at risk of death by cardiac arrest in England and Wales | TheBriefWire
Lack of defibrillators could put 16m at risk of death by cardiac arrest in England and Wales
Published 22 July 2026 ยท science
Exclusive: Research shows millions live more than a 1km round trip from 24/7 accessible device More than 16 million people in England and Wales risk
Exclusive: Research shows millions live more than a 1km round trip from 24/7 accessible device More than 16 million people in England and Wales risk dying from a cardiac arrest because they live farther than a 1km round trip from the nearest 24/7 defibrillator, according to exclusive research.
Analysis of publicly available defibrillators by the Heart Restart campaign found that in England and Wales alone, 35 million people more than half the population do not live within the recommended three- to five-minute brisk walk of a defibrillator.
Of these, about half live more than a 1km round trip from a 24/7 accessible defibrillator. There are more than 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in the UK, but fewer than one in 10 people survive.
However, early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation can more than double the chance of survival. Continue reading...
Published: July 22, 2026 โข 10:30 AM IST ยท Updated: July 22, 2026 โข 11:08 AM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points
Exclusive: Research shows millions live more than a 1km round trip from 24/7 accessible device More than 16 million people in England and Wales risk dying from a cardiac arrest because they live farther than a 1km round trip from the nearest 24/7 defibrillator, according to exclusive research.
Analysis of publicly available defibrillators by the Heart Restart campaign found that in England and Wales alone, 35 million people more than half the population do not live within the recommended three- to five-minute brisk walk of a defibrillator.
Of these, about half live more than a 1km round trip from a 24/7 accessible defibrillator.
There are more than 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in the UK, but fewer than one in 10 people survive.
However, early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation can more than double the chance of survival.