Veterinary Vision eye clinic installs life-saving defibrillator at Lancashire site

Renowned for its expertise in small animal and equine eye conditions, Linnaeus-owned Veterinary Vision is spearheading the drive to ensure visitors to its premises have the potentially lifesaving health care available should they suffer a cardiac arrest. The defibrillators have been installed at Veterinary Vision clinics in Bamber Bridge in Lancashire, Penrith in Cumbria, Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, and Newton Mearns in Glasgow.

Chris Dixon, clinical director at Veterinary Vision and the driving force behind the defibrillator initiative, said: “A cardiac arrest can affect anyone at any time, from children through to the elderly. Without the correct immediate treatment, cardiac arrests are often fatal.

“The stark reality is every member of the Veterinary Vision senior leadership team has had experience of a family member, friend or colleague suffering a cardiac arrest. Of course, we hope we never have to use the defibrillators but having them on site and ready to use should give any casualties a much better chance of survival.”

Around 30,000 people each year suffer a sudden cardiac arrest in the UK. Defibrillators can be a real life-saver, as the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest jumps from just 6 per cent to 74 per cent if the casualty is in a shockable rhythm and a defibrillator is deployed within three minutes.