An Evesham man whose life was saved twice within a week by his wife performing CPR is backing calls from leading cardiovascular charity to learn the life-saving skill.
Retired purchasing manager Neil Hoy suffered two life-threatening cardiac arrests at home in July 2022. Fortunately for him his wife Joanne was able to give him CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on both occasions until paramedics arrived to take over.
The call comes on the back of new figures from a YouGov survey commissioned by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to mark this February’s Heart Month, which found that around half of people (51 per cent) would not have the confidence to give CPR if someone had a cardiac arrest in front of them.
Neil in Worcester Royal Hospital following treatment. s
Neil Hoy, aged 61, suffered his first one after returning from home after playing badminton when he began to feel chest pains. Whilst waiting for an ambulance his condition quickly deteriorated and he started struggling for breath.
Joanne had regularly refreshed her first aid training and was able to give him CPR. She said: “I knew it was something very serious. I called back 999 and manhandled him off the sofa and onto the floor. He was completely unresponsive, still making a gasping sound and there was a horrible expression on his face.”
She was able to continue CPR for 10 minutes until the paramedics arrived and took over. They told her Neil had suffered a heart attack that resulted in a cardiac arrest.
After shock treatment with an AED, Neil was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital where it was discovered his central artery was completely blocked. He was fitted immediately with a stent and admitted to intensive care.
Four days later he was discharged but unfortunately went into a second cardiac arrest just three days afterwards. Again Joanne started with CPR and continued for five minutes until paramedics arrived.
The doctors diagnosed an electrical issue with his heart and fitted an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) – a small device which can treat people with dangerously abnormal heart rhythms.
Neil, who although experiences fatigue is able to lead an active healthy life, said: “When I look at Joanne, I think how lucky I am to be with her. She knew what to do under all that pressure and acted upon it.
“I often think what would have happened if the situation had been reversed and it had been Jo that had the cardiac arrest.
“I didn’t know how to do CPR back then, but I absolutely do now. It’s one of the most important skills anyone can ever learn and I am living proof that it brought me back, not once but twice.”
Neil learned to do CPR through the BHF’s free online tool RevivR training, using just a mobile phone and a cushion.
He encourages everyone to do so and said: “It only takes 15 minutes and you can save a life and have a chance of preventing the devastation of sudden cardiac death.”
There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, with less than one in ten people surviving. Early CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chances of survival.
British Heart Foundation, chief executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths, said: “With most out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happening in our homes, we all need to be ready to give CPR to a loved one.
“No matter your relationship status, everyone needs to know CPR. It only takes 15 minutes to learn and could be the greatest gift you give to someone you love.”
Visit https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/how-to-do-cpr/learn-cpr-in-15-minutes for more information.
