RFU President, Adrian Hughes said;

"The RFU is pleased to note the success of the Public Access defibrillator scheme in England and Wales. Saving lives in our communities is not always easy; having modern and simple to use defibrillators widely available is a critical component in increasing survivability rates for out of hospital cardiac arrest patients.

In rural areas the problem becomes even more difficult; in many areas, having the defibrillator available from a local fire station has been a very effective solution that has been responsible for saving many lives in remote and vulnerable communities.

The RFU welcomes the proposal to increase the numbers if publicly available defibrillators and commends the British Heart Foundation for support of the programme."

A total of 132 people were saved between 1999 and 2005 because they could be quickly "shocked" at the scene when their hearts stopped beating.

The Cardiff University researchers said the numbers may seem small, but it was highly unlikely any would have survived without the devices being on hand.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in adults and the most common cause is heart disease. It is now commonplace for airports, train stations and sports centres to have defibrillators on site where members of staff are trained to use them.

Statement Ends

Press contacts