May 14, 2012 - 44-Year-Old Father Playing in Charity Football Match Saved by Bystander CPR and AED Plus

MEDIA CONTACT:  

Diane Egan
ZOLL Medical Corporation
+1 (978) 421-9637
[email protected]  

44-YEAR-OLD FATHER PLAYING IN A CHARITY FOOTBALL MATCH SAVED BY BYSTANDER CPR AND ZOLL AED

ZOLL AED Plus Used by Local Firefighter 

May 14, 2012 - CHELMSFORD, MASS. - ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of resuscitation devices and related software solutions, reported today that a 44-year-old father playing in a Sports Relief Charity Football Match in Devon, England, was saved with CPR and a ZOLL AED Plus® when he collapsed during the second half of the game.

Chris Richards, who operates a first aid training business and also serves as a firefighter, was at the match with the AED Plus that he keeps on hand.  For Paul Tapp, the footballer who collapsed, Richards’ presence with the AED saved his life. Richards had been asked by his son’s coach to attend the event for first aid cover.

Tapp had turned purple and stopped breathing by the time Richards arrived at his side. While a player removed Tapp’s shirt, Richards’ grabbed the pads from the AED and then applied them to the victim’s chest.  After the AED Plus analyzed Tapp’s heart rhythm, a shock was advised. Then, once the AED instructed “Start CPR,” Richards began to perform chest compressions.  After about 25 seconds, Tapp gasped and started to breathe.  Richards then attached an oxygen mask while they waited for paramedics, who had been called by a club official, to arrive. Tapp gradually regained consciousness, but was not fully responsive until paramedics arrived about 10 minutes later.

According to Richards, he likes the comfort and reassurance the AED Plus gives the rescuer. “When you are administering life-critical chest compressions during a code, it’s reassuring to be told if you are doing ‘good compressions.’ Both the graphical and audio prompts that the AED Plus uses are vitally important in these life-saving situations,” he said.

Tapp, who now has a stent implanted and is back at work as a commercial vehicle mechanic, says “If it hadn’t been for Chris having an AED at the match, I wouldn’t be here today.  That day was my son’s 16th birthday. I now get to celebrate more birthdays with him.”

Recognizing the importance of having an AED available, like the AED Plus that saved Tapp’s life, the Cullompton Rangers Football Club, the team for which he was playing that day, has purchased an AED Plus so it is always available to protect its players and fans should someone in the future experience sudden cardiac arrest.  

About the AED Plus

The ZOLL AED Plus is the first and only full-rescue AED that provides Real CPR Help® for depth and rate of chest compressions during CPR. ZOLL’s enhanced Real CPR Help technology is fully compliant with the European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for deeper CPR chest compressions to help responders provide high-quality CPR. The AED Plus guides rescuers through the complete Chain of Survival, helping all sudden cardiac arrest victims, not just those who need a shock.  

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest

SCA, an abrupt disruption of the heart’s function, which causes a lack of blood flow to vital organs, claims more than 1 million lives globally each year. It is the leading cause of unexpected death in the world and strikes without warning. Survival is poor in most communities at less than eight percent and improvements in resuscitation practices could save as many as half of these victims. 

About ZOLL Medical Corporation

ZOLL Medical Corporation, an Asahi Kasei Group company, develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and monitoring, circulation and CPR feedback, data management, fluid resuscitation, and therapeutic temperature management, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, and lay rescuers treat victims needing resuscitation and critical care. For more information, visit www.zoll.com.

About Asahi Kasei

The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with operations in the chemicals and fibers, homes and construction materials, electronics, and health care business sectors. Its health care operations include devices and systems for critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, transfusion, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals, diagnostic reagents, and nutritional products. With more than 25,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/.

Copyright © 2012 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. AED Plus, Real CPR Help and ZOLL are trademarks or registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.