HCS Knowledge Centre

Discover how our new and innovative anti-choking device saved a resident’s life at Ashberry Healthcare

Written by HCSUK | Jan 8, 2019 12:00:00 AM

We believe every care home in the UK should invest in our new and innovative anti-choking device LifeVac and there are some compelling reasons why, but first we wanted to share with you a real life story from Jackie Ricketts, who works at Ashberry Healthcare, about how LifeVac saved one of her residents’ lives:
‘The Ashberry Healthcare Limited Nursing Home I work in saw LifeVac advertised and it was purchased as we were interested to see what it was about as we lost a resident to choking before. It arrived in the building on a Friday afternoon.

During that week, the emergency bell rang for the main dining room.
The staff responded quickly. When I got to the scene a carer was giving back slaps to the choking resident. I also attempted these as I sent a carer for the LifeVac from the office.
Our female resident had started to lose consciousness, when I used LifeVac on the first attempt it bought up a large bolus of food into the mask of the LifeVac . She was now fully aware and talking with no ill effects. A G.P. came and examined her and all was well.

I wouldn't want to think of what would of happen if we didn't have LifeVac.
That day LifeVac saved our resident’s life.’

Why invest in a LifeVac anti-choking device?
• 6-7 vulnerable people die each month in UK care homes alone due to choking related incidents.
Choking is one of the leading causes of accidental death in adults over the age of 65, even with strict meal/care plans. There are many causes of choking such as
Dysphagia
Disabilities
Medications taken which cause lack of saliva.

However 85% of all choking related deaths are caused by food.
People who live with life changing conditions are at high risk from choking. Neurological diseases such as Parkinson ’s disease, Huntington’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, ALS and Alzheimer’s are all susceptible to developing Dysphagia

We believe that our new and innovative LifeVac anti-choking device is an invaluable investment to help enhance resident safety in every care home. It is currently the ONLY airway clearance device with independent medical testing It is MHRA registered as a Class One medical device and CE accredited and it is easy to use, safe and effective and capable of generating over 300 mmhg of suction.

Did you know that .........................?
• 2500 people die from asphyxiated airways in the UK – St John Ambulance
• The UK currently has an 8 minute target time for an ambulance to reach an incident
• 4-6 minutes of oxygen starvation means that brain damage is possible
• 6-10 minutes of oxygen starvation means that brain damage is probable
• 10+ minutes of oxygen starvation means the victim is likely to die
• Many people in the UK, including wheelchair users, cannot receive conventional treatment for choking due to disability, age or obesity.

The LifeVac anti-choking device is currently in over 2100 care and nursing homes across the UK and has already saved 31 lives from choking to death when standard BLS has failed. Lifevac helps companies to safeguard the people they provide the best quality of care for.

You can view the full range of LifeVac products on our website

If you have any further questions or would like more information on the benefits of the LifeVac anti-choking device, please do email lucylynch@hcsuk.co.uk or call Lucy on 07968 994660. Lucy is available for demonstrations so you can see LifeVac for yourself.