A 22-year-old man died of what is believed to have been a heart attack while playing football at St Aloysius College on Monday.
Times of Malta reported that efforts to revive Justin Tabone through CPR proved futile.
The incident took place on Monday at 9.30pm.
A doctor and a first aider playing on another pitch nearby tried to resuscitate him as they waited for the ambulance, which arrived around 15 minutes later. TOM reports.
Emergency physicians then took over, the players said.
First aiders were unable to locate a defibrillator, which were located right across the street at the school itself.
The school’s rector, Fr Jimmy Bartolo, stressed that there are signs leading people to the machines, emphasising that it was not a case of negligence.
In reaction to the death, the Malta Resuscitation Council said that Adults who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest might benefit of a shock delivered by an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
For every minute the shock is delayed, the chance of survival decreases by 7%.
That is why AEDs were developed to guide a non-trained bystander to deploy it effectively using voice prompts. Being trained makes the process faster and more efficient, improving the chance of survival overall, the council said. That is why AEDs need to be accessible to the public and easily located.
The Malta Resuscitation Council recommends:
• All entities who are considering installing an AED for their private premises to do so in a place which is public access within their perimeter and have appropriate signage for easy location
• All entities who already have AEDs within their premises to consider moving them in a public space within their perimeter and have appropriate signage for easy location
• All entities who have an AED to register on already available applications which individuals can download and use to easily locate the nearest AED.
The Malta Resuscitation Council further encouraged everyone in our communities to learn how to administer CPR. Basic Life Support Courses teach the correct and safe delivery of CPR which can mean the difference between life and death for a close relative or a total stranger. Anyone can learn CPR, including young children.
The Malta Resuscitation Council said it is actively working and promoting the introduction of resuscitation training in the National Curriculum. October 16th is World Restart a Heart Day, a yearly awareness celebration of the essential nature of bystander CPR.