Shorter distance, greater hope for survival
Hartlepool is a seaside and port town in England, UK. Boasting a population of around 92,000, the town is known for stunning beaches and countryside views, as well as its vast AED network.
All of this originated from Pam and Bill Shurmer, a local couple who set up the charity DS43 Community Defibrillators to install more AEDs across Hartlepool since 2021.
They were spurred into action after their beloved son, Daniel Shurmer tragically passed away from cardiac arrest at home after a long night shift, leaving his life cut short at the age of 43. Daniel was a huge sports enthusiast so his passing from a cardiac arrest was a huge shock for friends and family.
Sudden cardiac death and arrhythmia account for up to 20% of all deaths throughout the world, according to academic research. Defibrillation is the only treatment for someone suffering sudden cardiac arrest. A defibrillator delivers an electrical shock to restore a patient’s normal cardiac rhythm and is a key piece of medical equipment to sustain the patient’s life.
Bill and Pam Shurmer hope to give local people a better chance of survival in similar situations. They started by raising funds to install three defibrillators in the area where Daniel lived, and then embarked on a mission to identify other locations in Hartlepool where defibrillators could be installed.
Now, if you walk around the town, you will find lots of public AEDs within a short walk of each other. The charity, DS43, also supports regular CPR and AED training sessions to raise awareness of emergency response, spreading knowledge about cardiac arrest first aid, and promoting the use of AED devices.
DS43 has drastically increased AED coverage in Hartlepool, tangibly protecting the lives of the town's inhabitants.
To date, Mindray's AEDs have been installed and utilized in nearly 120 countries in different continents, collectively safeguarding the hearts and lives of people in different regions.
Enhancing care together
200 kilometers away in Cambridge, lies a prestigious hospital whose newest state-of-the-art building was opened in 2019 by Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. It is the largest cardiothoracic specialty hospital in the country, and also serves as a major center for heart and lung transplantation –Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Annually, the hospital accommodates 20,797 inpatient and day cases from all over the UK, in addition to 103,284 outpatient visits.
Through collaboration with Mindray, Royal Papworth Hospital has developed a tailored and comprehensive connected monitoring solution for patients.
Mindray's BeneHeart D30 defibrillator offers an innovative CPR evaluation system to monitor real-time CPR performance, from both operational process and effect, providing instant feedback for clinicians to sustain good resuscitation quality.
With Mindray's BeneVision N1 Patient Monitor, healthcare providers have a continuous patient monitoring hub that can be used as a stand-alone transport monitor or integrated into the BeneVision N15 bedside monitor as a monitoring module. This allows for seamless tracking and recording of patient conditions throughout their hospital stay.
“And the other thing it does (with it) is (that) it sends it to our critical care outreach team who then act upon all the high new scores and see those patients, treat them and make sure they don’t deteriorate.”
This collaboration between Mindray and Royal Papworth Hospital is also delivering solutions tailored to its unique patient population. In addition to monitoring equipment, Mindray's bedside ultrasound devices provide doctors with more visual support on assessments and diagnostics for patients suffering from heart disease.
With a number of smart tools to improve the speed and accuracy of assessments, Mindray ultrasound systems such as the TEX20 Series can also provide automatic calculations and guide transducer placement to rapidly assess heart health so patients get the treatment they need in a timely manner.
Mindray is committed to providing comprehensive cardiac monitoring solutions to hospitals worldwide. By continuously engaging with healthcare institutions, understanding the challenges and obstacles faced by medical professionals and administrators, we guide further technological innovation to improve healthcare delivery and make cutting-edge technology more accessible.
We firmly believe that through collective efforts, we can ensure that more hearts around the world receive timely treatment in the face of cardiovascular diseases, so more people enjoy better health.
