Heart attacks. Defibrillators not welcome?

i've seen a lot of comments around people wanting defibrilators on tracks, I wonder how much there will be expectations of more defibrilators on track and the cost of providing them that could come out of track budgets. if defibrilators are going to be provided, it shouldnt come out of track building and maintenance budgets, the people who want it should come up with a way to fund it themselves if they are that keen on it. or we may end up with less tracks in the future, theres already a trend for tracks to be closed faster than they are being opened. we're so wrapped up in technology now, people are quick to want more technology, but the money for it has to come from somewhere

I am not sure how practical the idea of providing stationary defibrillator posts on or near tracks is, even apart from the matter of cost. If you are having a heart attack then every minute counts, and it is unlikely a defib unit would be located within a few minutes of where you suffer the attack. (Presumably your companions would have to carry you there, which would make things even slower.) Or how you would even know where the closest unit was. Maybe some sort of portable unit (do they even exist?) could be hired out in advance for those who feel vulnerable to attack?

they are portable, you put them in a cabinet and if theres cell phone connectivity, you call 111 and ideally theres a code on teh cabinet that needs to be entered to unlock it, or if theres no connectivity you leave it unlocked and hope it doesnt get nicked

"I wonder how much there will be expectations of more defibrilators on track" I expect very little. This conversation's getting blown out of proportion.

In this day and age so much responsibility is passed onto someone else without necessarily considering how ones own actions contribute to the situation. The call for defibs on walking paths comes from that mentality even if it isnt necessarily relevant. Health and safety used to start with the question "can I do this safely?" followed by if the answer was no "what do I need to do to make it safe?" Now it is What rule or standard do I have to refer to to see if this is safe?" Maybe it should be " Why isnt this safe?" followed by "Ive fixed this, allowed for that so now it must be safe" Is the new way really better than the old? I wont answer that because the answer depends on who you talk to. The measure though has to be the accident rate but does that even tell the whole story? The reality with defibs is that I can see a time coming not necessarily in a tramping environment where someone dies within reach of a defib because there was no one there to use it. Will that cause calls for no one ever to be alone?

who would have envisaged great walks would end up like gravelled roads through the bush with regularly spaced toilets, with stairs, handrails. every tiny creek is bridged. huts with flush loos, hand gel, solar powered lighting, gas cookers. in some places standards have been set that can raise peoples expectations in what they expect from a track. some people even expect cell phone coverage. people are questioning Te Araroa trust about providing defibrilators on the new escarpment track... you can get fully automated defibs that talk you through using them and they automatically apply the shock when they are setup on the patient.

Coming soon defibs you can use on yourself (they already exist but they are an implant for heart arithmia and called pacemakers Not for emergency use)

I'm with izogi on this subject, Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm not sure that all pacemakers have defibrillators. I'll check with my good friend, the Pacing Technician and get back on this. My knee-jerk reaction is that defibs are a silly idea on backcountry tracks as people are mobile and the window for a defib to reduce deaths significantly is fairly small e.g. 2% survival rate from cardiac arrest on the street in Christchurch vs 20% survival rate on the wards in Christchurch Hospital. Those stats may be out of date though. Another thing for me to check. However a dear relative used to confine his post cardiac arrest rehab to the Christchurch streets (boring as) due to lack of defibs in the hinterland.