Seeing Christian Eriksen collapse on the pitch during the Euro 2020 football match was a shock.
I’ve refrained on posting about him until we knew he was ok, but I think this does have important lessons to share.
It’s fantastic that he has made a recovery and has made it home.
This shows you how important quick and effective CPR, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation is. The medics on pitch started CPR within 2 minutes and he was defibrillated within 5 minutes.
Even in the last week, I’ve seen someone in their 30’s who didn’t get CPR or defibrillation so quickly and they have yet to wake up.
So what do you do if you see someone collapse in front of you?
Make sure it’s safe to approach, then check if their conscious and breathing. Shout for help. CPR starts with ensuring the airway is clear, putting someone on their back and starting chest compressions.
Find an automatic external defibrillator (AED). If you pass through train stations or leisure centres, or work in an office or building site regularly keep an eye out for where these are kept.
They are great little machines that talk you through what you have to do – open up the box, get the pads out, where to stick them and what to do. They can and do save lives. St John’s Ambulance have got a good video.
Hopefully we will continue to see these AED’s in more places, perhaps on every football pitch or sports ground. Please do take up CPR training if you can – these courses are often run through your employer or St John’s ambulance.