Life After Cardiac Arrest

Paul talks about why a hearts attack and a cardiac arrests are not equal. From a physiological point of view the events are quite different, a heart attack is a plumbing problem whereas a cardiac arrest is an electrical one. It should be noted that both need immediate medical attention but a cardiac arrest is perhaps the ultimate medical emergency as without immediate intervention the patient will almost certainly die. Paul talks briefly about the actual events and then lists 10 reasons why they should not be considered equal. This is not to undermine or denigrate a heart attack, but to help the uninitiated understand what cardiac arrest survivor and their family may be going through. For the estimated 60% that have both they may be moot points, but for remaining cohort they can make a real difference. 1) The severities of a heart attack vs the binary nature of a cardiac arrest. 2) State of consciousness. 3) The need for resuscitation. 4) Finding a cause. 5) The care pathway. 6) Lifestyle choices. 7) The psychological aspect. 8) Brain injury. 9) Implanted devices. 10) Insurance. Presented by Paul Swindell and edited by Matt Nielson. Recorded November 2019

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Paul talks with likeable South African and cardiac arrest survivor Willem Pretorius about his ups and downs post arrest. Like an estimated quarter of survivors he lost his job after his event and struggled to get his life back to an even keel. Willem talks about his struggles, occupational therapy sessions and how becoming a member of SCA UK has helped his recovery such that he has recently got himself back into the workforce. Presented by Paul Swindell and edited by Matt Nielson. Recorded November 2019

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Paul talks with cardiac arrest survivor Jasmine Wylie who is a patient advocate and online community leader. Jasmine talks about her cardiac arrest which was at the young age of 24 and was caused by Long QT Syndrome (LQTS). She also cover her recovery and subsequent work as a patient advocate where she helps others on the road to recovery via online communities and beyond. Presented by Paul Swindell and edited by Matt Nielson. Recorded October 2019

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Paul talks about cardiac arrest sequelae. Sequelae is not a word that many people are familiar with, and even though it is very pertinent to sudden cardiac arrest survivors it’s probably not one they would have heard of before. It simply means a condition which is the consequence of a previous disease or injury and in survivors this could be down to a number of factors. Many survivors report having a wide range of "symptoms" post arrest and often it is not clear or explained as to why they happen. Paul talks about the impact that anoxia/hypoxia can have on the brain and the issues that it can cause and the results of a survey which shows the most common issues experienced by the members of Sudden Cardiuac Arrest UK. More information on this subject can be found on the Sequelae page of our website. Presented by Paul Swindell and edited by Matt Nielson. Recorded October 2019

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Paul talks with consultant cardiologist Dr Tom Keeble, about building a better future for cardiac arrest survival with a number of recent projects he has been working on: the Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK #NotAlone event, the International Task force for Cardiac Arrest Recovery (ITCAR), Heartwize Essex and the forthcoming video #WhatJackDid aimed at encouraging teenagers to engage in CPR. Dr Keeble is a consultant cardiologist and researcher at the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre, Southend Hospital and Anglia Ruskin University. If you enjoy listening to Dr Keeble check out episode #002 or episode #007 where he talks more about his work and gives advice on medications. Presented by Paul Swindell and edited by Matt Nielson. Recorded October 2019

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Paul talks with cardiac arrest survivor Ingrid Gardner. From a nervous start, Ingrid first met others at a SADS UK conference back in 2017, from there she progressed to attending other meeting-ups including the successful Guinness World Record attempt in June 2018. At the end of September 2019 she played a role in bringing the SCA UK team to her beautiful home county of Rutland where she was one of the hosts for the #NotAlone event. She talks about her thoughts and motivation for attending the events and what a positive impact it has had on her recovery and life. Presented by Paul Swindell and edited by Matt Nielson. Recorded October 2019

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Paul talks with Doug Rachac who is a medical device patient educator and advocate. Prior to his own cardiac issues Doug was a Medtronic employer for many years working in a number of roles including training and education. Doug experienced a number of cardiac related blackouts and subsequently ended up with an ICD being implanted to protect him from further episodes and the possibility of a cardiac arrest. Since then Doug has left Medtronic to focus on family life and educating patients and industry about what it is like to have an implanted device such as an ICD. He is active on various peer support groups and has his own YouTube channel. Here he covers lots of the common questions ICD owners have, explaining topics in a clear and easy to understand manner. Presented by Paul Swindell and edited by Matt Nielson. Recorded September 2019

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Paul talks with Dr Katie Dainty, who is a qualitative and mixed methods scientist and is the Research Chair in Patient Centred Outcomes at North York General Hospital, Toronto and also a passionate advocate for bystanders in a cardiac arrest scenario - "the forgotten patient". She is currently undertaking research into understanding survivorship following Sudden Cardiac Arrest from both the patient and family perspectives and is also a co-founder of the Canadian organisation Bystander Support Network which aims to support people who have witnessed someone having a cardiac arrest, who have performed CPR or who have survived a cardiac arrest. Presented by Paul Swindell and edited by Matt Nielson. Recorded September 2019

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Paul talks with Jayne Biggs, mother and lifesaver of her daughter Violet who had a cardiac arrest aged 7. She talks about her daughters event and how she has been driven by her families experience to set up the Heart 2 Heart charity in Norfolk to improve life saving skills in her local and wider community. In 3 years her charity has placed over 140 defibrillators and trained many hundreds of people in CPR skills. Presented by Paul Swindell and edited by Matt Nielson. Recorded September 2019

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Paul talks with cardiac arrest survivor Darren Nicholls. Whilst during a run as part of the Couch to 5K programme Darren had a cardiac arrest, and ended up spending 3 weeks in hospital and having a triple bypass operation. On discharge Darren was not content with just completing the Couch to 5K, and over the following months he finds super human strength and determination to complete many sporting challenges. In July 2019, just 2 1/2 years after his cardiac arrest he got to the start line of the the Ironman UK, a gruelling triathlon consisting of a 2.4m swim, 112m bike ride and finishing with a full 26.2m marathon. Cheered on by a host of family, friends and other supporters the pressure is on. Can he go from flatline to finishline of one of the most challenging events in the UK? Presented by Paul Swindell and edited by Matt Nielson. Recorded September 2019

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