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Scottish dental practices to receive life-saving equipment

In order to help people who have had a heart attack, Scottish dental practices will be receiving defibrillators within the next several months. (Photo: sfam_photo/Shutterstock)

Tue. 1 April 2014

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EDINBURGH – The National Health Service (NHS) for Scotland is planning to install defibrillators at every NHS dental practice across Scotland. With the initiative, which will cost about £1 million (€1.2 million), the health authorities aim to reduce the number of out-of-hospital deaths after cardiac arrest.

According to the NHS, more than 1,500 Scottish citizens died after cardiac arrest outside of hospitals in 2013. In order to reduce this figure, the health agency will install defibrillators at the 970 NHS dental practices in Scotland by the end of August.

The machines can be used by any member of the public to deliver electric shock to the chest to restore a person’s heartbeat to a normal rhythm after cardiac arrest.

The defibrillators will be mapped on the Scottish Ambulance Service’s control system to enable ambulance call handlers to direct the public to a defibrillator-equipped dental practice while an ambulance is on the way.

Currently, defibrillators have to be purchased by dentists directly. The NHS has announced that practitioners who have already purchased machines will be compensated.

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