Advocates continue pushing for more AEDs and more awareness of how to use them
When it comes to cardiac arrest every minute matters.
As we saw at the Euro Cup this weekend when football player Christian Eriksen suddenly collapsed on the field, quick action can make the difference between life and death.
Medics rushed in to bring him back from the brink by using a combination of CPR and a defibrillator to save his life.
"He was gone, and we did cardiac resuscitation and we got him back after one defib, so that's quite fast," Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen said Sunday.
David Fowlie of Dartmouth says Eriksen was very fortunate. His own son Michael, the picture of health at 28-years-old, passed away after going into cardiac arrest while cycling on Purcells Cove Road in Halifax in 2014.
He has been advocating for better access to automated external defibrillators -- or AEDs -- and says there has been some progress made in Nova Scotia.
"Currently, we have a registry in Nova Scotia indicating the number of AEDs and the locations of AEDs however we need far more AEDs than what we have right now," Fowlie said.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, every year an estimated 35,000 cardiac arrests happen in Canada.
It can happen at any age, at any time -- and to people of all fitness levels -- without any warning.
Only one in 10 people survive those that happen at home or in public places, but the chances of survival double with immediate action.
"The Heart and Stroke Foundation would like to see AEDs as prevalent as fire extinguishers in public places," said Karen Chapple, Atlantic resuscitation program manager with the Foundation. "It's just to help bringing awareness that AEDs can save a life."
In New Brunswick, there is a provincial defibrillator registry which is voluntary, and has over 850 now registered.
Since 2014, there have been 34 cardiac arrest survivors in New Brunswick who have been saved by bystanders.
"It's so important for folks to recognize the emergency exists, call 91-1, start CPR and use the AED," said Mary-Lou Price, who runs the public access defibrillation program in New Brunswick.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.