Hearts kick start

CALLS are growing for defibrillators to be made mandatory at all sporting clubs.
A new campaign from Sports Medicine Australia and Defib Your Club, For Life! follows several recent on-field deaths from cardiac arrest, including footballer Vincent ‘Vinny’ Bonanno from Wandin.
The 22-year-old collapsed during a practice match on 6 March.
If a defibrillator had been on hand, he might still be alive.
The club has since received one of the devices, as have several other valley clubs this year.
Yarra Ranges paramedic Gary Robertson said portable defibrillators were purpose-designed for anyone to use.
“The sooner a defibrillator is used on somebody with sudden cardiac arrest, the greater their chance of survival,” he said.
“And every minute that ticks by, the chances diminish considerably.”
Sports Medicine Australia CEO Nello Marino said the government, sporting associations, venue operators and clubs needed to do more to address the issue.
“Currently early defibrillation seems to be the weakest link in Australian sporting clubs, and more often than not a missing link due to lack of funding,” he said.
“Defibrillators are relatively cheap and make a big impact in the crucial moments following cardiac arrest.” One in every 1000 people has an undiagnosed heart complaint. About 30,000 Australians die from a sudden cardiac arrest each year.
A defibrillator delivers electrical energy to the heart to stop disorganised cardiac activity called fibrillation, and allow the muscles to return to a normal rhythm.