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Health Check: Public Reluctant to use Life-saving Defibrillators

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2017/09/27 GMT

Public Reluctant to use Life-saving Defibrillators

BBC World Service - Health Check, Public Reluctant to use Life-saving Defibrillators

Passers-by often reluctant to use defibrillators when someone has a cardiac arrest

Passers-by are often reluctant to use defibrillators when someone has a cardiac arrest;  menstrual cups empower Kenyan teenagers; could sleep save your life?

Many people don’t have the confidence to step in and give someone in cardiac arrest the electric shock which might save their life – despite the increased availability of automated public defibrillators.  Nearly a third of people who die every year die from cardiac arrest – which is when the heart stops beating.   Doctors want more people to use the automated devices which deliver clear audio instructions and are often found in railways stations or airports.  

A menstrual cup is an alternative to sanitary towels or tampons that’s transforming the lives of teenage girls in Kenya.  Some girls who couldn’t afford sanitary protection used rugs or mattresses – and worried about leakage. Others had “boyfriends” who would buy them pads – in return for sex.  Now they have been given menstrual cups, they can stay in school to finish their education. 

Most of us aren’t getting enough sleep – and it’s affecting our health and life expectancy according to Professor Matthew Walker, whose book Why We Sleep is published this week. He has a family history of cardiovascular disease – and does everything he can to protect his sleep in order to reduce his own risk of premature death. 



(Photo: Getty Images)

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