Cardiac arrests in London jumped by a third during the heatwave this week as temperatures soared on public transport, the capital’s ambulance chief has said.
Surge in 999 Calls and Life-Threatening Emergencies
Jason Killens, chief executive of London Ambulance Service (LAS), told how the number of 999 calls received soared by around 50% from some 5,500 to around 8,000 on Wednesday, when temperatures spiralled to 35.1C in the capital. This figure included the highest ever number of life-threatening emergency calls that the LAS has responded to in a single day.
“We took the highest number of calls we categorize as immediately life-threatening, so Category One.. just about 650 of those in a day in the history of the ambulance,” Mr Killens told BBC radio. “Those Category One calls are patients in cardiac arrest to continuously fitting, who have stopped breathing, those kind of really serious time critical cases.”
Cardiac Arrest Increase and Public Transport Challenges
He added: “Within that we saw just over a third more patients in reported cardiac arrest than we would expect to see on an average Wednesday in June.” Mr Killens explained further: “The capital is particularly difficult with people travelling around on public transport, the Tube obviously gets very hot in weather like this, but I mean, we've seen, you know, many more patients fainting, collapsing feeling generally unwell, and of course, those with pre-existing conditions, particularly those with breathing difficulties, have been prevalent too.”
A cardiac arrest is more severe than many heart attacks as it is when the heart stops beating and the patient is no longer breathing.
Tube Temperatures and Criticism of Air Conditioning Rollout
Commuters have experienced scorching temperatures on the Tube and other public transport during the heatwave. The Standard measured the temperature on the Central line as a blistering 39.4C on Wednesday. It comes amid criticism of Sir Sadiq Khan over the rollout of air conditioning on the Tube - with no new trains with air con introduced on the Underground for nine years. London is facing scorching temperatures again on Friday, when London could see its hottest ever June day with temperatures forecast to hit 36C.
Ambulance Service Response and Public Health Advice
LAS has put more than 400 additional ambulance crews on the road this week to help keep patients safe. People are also being encouraged to check on neighbours, relatives and friends who may be more vulnerable to the effects of the heat. Even after temperatures begin to fall, respiratory and heart-related incidents can increase in the days following a heatwave.
