One of the surprisingly safer places to suffer a cardiac arrest!

Have you ever thought about what casino clients prize more than anything?


You may think that they would say “money” as otherwise why would they be in a casino, but you would be wrong! Although most of your gamblers would love to hit the jackpot, most would say that they value their life more, as without it their winnings are meaningless.

Unfortunately, in the UK nearly 2000 people every week lose their lives to a cardiac arrest. That adds up to an astonishing 150,000 each year! At least 84% of cardiac arrests occur outside the hospital environment. Although some of these people may have a history of heart disease, many will not. Cardiac arrest can strike suddenly and without warning. Once it strikes, in order to have a decent chance of survival, the sufferer must receive an electric shock to their heart from a Defibrillator within the first 4-6 minutes of the arrest. Without defibrillation, after 10 minutes they will almost certainly be dead.

It is well documented that stress (excitement), alcohol and recreational drug use are key factors in precipitating this condition, even in the apparently fit and healthy. In the USA where these facts are accepted and acknowledged- most casino’s are equipped with Automated External Defibrillators(AED’s) as part of their standard first aid equipment.

In a well documented study carried out in Las Vegas, survival rates from cardiac arrest rose to a staggering 74% when they were treated by casino staff with an AED. The usual survival rate for out of hospital cardiac arrest is 2%!

Some fear the liability of owning and operating AEDs. However, with the increasingly widespread availability of these machines, this concern may be shifting - those without AEDs may be exposing themselves to legal risk. In September 2000, United Airlines agreed to pay $18 million to a woman whose 37-year-old husband died on a plane that had not been equipped with a defibrillator. With very clear guidelines in place from both the European and UK Resuscitation councils advocating AED placement in venues where many people gather, by not having an AED you business is exposed to risk.

AED’s are simple to operate, require minimal training (they are designed to be easy enough for untrained people to use in an emergency) and are now very affordable.

Why wait until it’s too late?