CARDIAC arrest victims could benefit from plans to make life-saving equipment available in public places around Gibraltar.

The scheme is aimed at providing rapid assistance to victims who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest away from hospital, with over 90 per cent of cases on the Rock resulting in death.

Public Access Defibrillators – designed for easy use without any training – will be placed in locations including the Piazza, Victoria Stadium complex and St Michael’s Cave.

Less than five per cent of people who suffer a cardiac arrest survive without the use of a defibrillator, compared to 70 per cent who have access to one within five minutes.

It follows the recent high-profile case of Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba, who received life-saving treatment on the pitch from medics using a defibrillator.

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