A Labour MSP is calling for all defibrillators to be registered with the ambulance service in a bid to improve heart attack survival rates.

Proposals put forward today by Anas Sarwar for a new law requiring defibrillators to be registered with the Scottish Ambulance Service could “transform” survival rates, the Glasgow representative says.

The AED Registration Bill aims to introduce a legal requirement for all public automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be registered, allowing 999 call handlers to identify the nearest public AED and direct bystanders to it.

There are around 3,500 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Scotland every year where resuscitation is attempted, but only one in 12 of those people survive.

Every minute without CPR or defibrillation leads to a 10% decrease in a patient’s chances of surviving.

Alongside CPR, easily accessible defibrillators can double the chance of surviving in some cases.

Evidence has shown the rate of AED – devices constructed so anyone can use them by following simple instructions – use in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests is as low as 4.3%.

A study in Sweden found registered AEDs were 15 times more likely to be used in a life-saving scenario than unregistered AEDs.

There is currently no legislation in Scotland governing the registration of AEDs, with purchasers only asked to register them with the Scottish Ambulance Service on a voluntary basis.

The proposed bill would place a duty on vendors, purchasers and guardians of public AEDs to ensure that they are registered as soon as feasibly possible following their purchase.

There are around 1,900 AEDs voluntarily registered in Scotland.

A consultation on the proposal will be launched in the coming weeks, seeking views on whether registration should be mandatory – steps the British Heart Foundation Scotland has welcomed.

Anas Sarwar MSP said: “This proposal could dramatically improve survival rates in Scotland.

“The evidence of the positive impact of using a defibrillator is overwhelming, doubling survival chances in some cases.

“But there is no current requirement for public AEDs to be registered, meaning the ambulance service may direct a bystander to a defibrillator which is further away, or they may not even be aware of one in the vicinity.

“This bill would help bystanders save the lives of their fellow citizens and allow Scotland to lead the way in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival.

Miro Dragic, 52, an IT worker from Edinburgh, was playing at Drummond tennis club in July 2017 with his son and friends when he suddenly collapsed due to a cardiac arrest.

His heart and breathing stopped but his fellow players knew how to perform CPR and carried this out for 20 minutes to keep him alive.

Had they not known CPR, a defibrillator could have saved his life.

Since then, Mr Dragic has made a full recovery and has been raising funds for British Heart Foundation Scotland, and to provide a defibrillator at his club.

“I was very lucky and I want to do what I can to help others have the same positive outcome from a cardiac arrest,” he said.

“Today I’m feeling well and back to full fitness, but too many other people don’t have that second chance.

“I would like to see more people learning CPR, and it should be taught in every school.

“But if people do not know CPR, they do not need specialist skills to use a defibrillator, and a registration programme to ensure people can access a nearby AED could dramatically increase survival rates.”

 British Heart Foundation Scotland policy and public affairs officer Daniel Jones said:

“This represents the first national conversation on the registration of publicly accessible defibrillators (PADs) and we will take a keen interest in the responses and encourage all guardians of PADs to share their views. 

“Survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Scotland are worryingly low, with fewer than one in twelve people surviving.

“Alongside CPR, easily accessible defibrillators double the chance of surviving in some cases. Opportunities to help save a life are often missed because no one knows where the nearest defibrillator is.

“It’s vital that every defibrillator is registered with the Scottish Ambulance Service so that lives are not needlessly lost.”