Welcome to Dr. Warrick's podcast channel. Warrick is a practicing cardiologist and author with a passion for improving care by helping patients understand their heart health through education. Warrick believes educated patients get the best health care. Discover and understand the latest approaches and technology in heart care and how this might apply to you or someone you love. Hi, my name is Dr. Warrick Bishop and welcome to my podcast and videocast station. I have the pleasure to catch up again with Guy Leach, who's an acclaimed athlete at the highest level and also a lifesaver, which is what we're going to talk about today. How are you, Guy? Good, thank you. How are you? Good. Yeah, I'm good. Look... For those who have had the chance, we've already done two podcasts really talking about your sporting journey. And for me, it was fascinating to hear the importance of the mindset, the discipline, the requirement to really do your best and the structures you put in place to achieve that. But one of the things that's happened in the last year is you've really pivoted and changed your emphasis. And it's a lovely play on words, but you've... become a different sort of lifesaver from someone who wore togs and the orange and yellow hats to someone who's really involved at the coalface of trying to save lives with automatic defibrillators. And I really wanted to share with you what your story is about that journey. How did you get... to where you are at the moment. And what were the steps along the way, Guy? I suppose we all in life have those moments that change the direction we're going in. I know your story that you've told regarding one of your patients. And so for me, once I retired from Ironman, I always loved the fitness aspect of Ironman. I always loved that sort of the feeling of fitness and what I did there and I always had an interest in that. So I sort of was always going down that line of being a trainer, training groups, being an expert in that area, which is what I did for the next 20 years or so. And it was nearly six years ago in one of my fitness classes that I took down around Manly in Sydney. that one of the guys in the fitness class, and there was about 25 people that morning at the beach, he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. And, you know, he was one of my best mates, this guy, and dropped at the end of the session, and my training from the Cirque Club days jumped in, and we made sure we rang triple O, ambulance on the way, and I started resuscitating him. The ambulance took about... 13, 14 minutes to turn up. I kept recessing him, didn't get a result. And the short of it was that he had an electrical issue with his heart. And the only thing that was going to restart the heart was a defibrillator shot from a defib. I didn't have one there. And I didn't have one because... When I was in the surf club in the 80s and 90s, there were no defibs at surf clubs. You know, it was the first we heard about it was Kerry Packer having a heart issue, stopped breathing, ambulance turned up. It was the only ambulance, I think, on the New South Wales area that actually had one in it, got him back, and off the back of that, Kerry went dollar for dollar with the New South Wales state government to put them into New South Wales ambulances. So that was the first I heard about them. Forgive me for interrupting, but I think they were affectionately called pack-a-whackers, weren't they? Exactly, exactly. So he lives on, doesn't he, through an event that got him back alive again. So, look, I learned after my mate didn't make it through a cardiologist like yourself and the surgeon at the Royal North Shore Hospital and all these things that... You know, they said, Guy, you did a good job. We know you did good CPR on him. You weren't going to bring him back. It was an electrical issue of the heart. It started out as a plumbing issue, but it became an electrical issue. I'm not telling you anything you don't know, Doc. And, you know, if you had a defib there, you could have got it on him quickly in the first three minutes. Then his chances of surviving were approximately... around 70%, but every minute after that first three minutes, the chances of re-kicking that heart over from a shock from a defib goes down by 10%. So go out to 14 minutes when the ambulance turns up with the defib and they try to kick him over, his heart, and the engine won't start again, you know, roughly. So I learned all this after the fact. The thing on that day wasn't just me pumping his chest, trying to get him back. It was the other 24 people there that were all mates with him as well watching it. It was just a horrific situation and they all wanted to know more about the defibs after that. So I went and investigated it. Were you near a building or any structures that could have housed a defib or were you miles away from anywhere? No, we were, but you know what? Six years ago, there were hardly any defibs anywhere, and people really didn't know much about them. Fast forward six years, and I've got a business called Heart 180 that is a distribution company for the two leading brands of defibs in the world, and we send out defibs every day from our warehouse on the northern beaches, and we save a life every seven to eight weeks. that we find out about. So we've come a long way. The interesting thing is, and we talk about in other podcasts, we've talked about excellence and winning and the best and those sort of things. And I found out that in Seattle, where defibs were invented, a company called PhysioControl started just over 70 years ago. And they're one of the brands that I bring into Australia. Their culture in Seattle is someone hits the deck out in the community, we all know how to do CPR, we know where a defib is, and we know how to use it. So over there, you know, you have to do CPR and defib, of course, to get your driver's licence. You know, it's a different world, right, and a different mindset and culture. So over there, the joke is that if you or I hit the deck our hearts stop breathing, there's five people deep lining up trying to get on our chest and put a defib on us. So their survival rate in the streets of Seattle out of hospital is around 70%. Wow. We're at 6% or thereabouts. I say less than 10. It's more closer to six, but it's less probably than that because they count. If you and I got brought back by a defib in the ambulance on the way to hospital and get in the front door with our hearts going, They count that as a save, even if we died in hospital. So those numbers are probably not even 6%, which is just frightening. So, you know, for me, my mate Chucky, I can't get back. And I tried my best, but I learned after the fact that had I had a defib, he had a much, much, much better chance of living. So when you start talking about pivoting in life, well, I pivoted. doing the fitness training and all the things. I still keep fit and train every day. But for me, I didn't want to be the fitness guy anymore to the rest of the country. I wanted to be the lifesaver guy. I wanted to be the bloke that got more defibs out there, educated people to how to use them, educated people to act in health and know about it and learn how to do CPR and learn how to use a defib and get hold of them for their homes. their holiday places, their businesses, their schools, et cetera. And so, you know, so for me that interest and passion and all the things I spoke about in sport has been literally just reawakened into this area. And it's an area that is more important than me winning an Ironman race or a swimming race because, you know, we're affecting human beings and we're making a difference. And I think it's important to, to use the, I suppose, the position I'm in this stage of my life to go and save more people. And, you know, like I know the name of the first person we saved, Brett Orkwood. He was running in a fun run in Melbourne with his eight-year-old son and dropped dead from a sudden cardiac arrest. And the defib that I took to the post office and handed over the desk to go to that running club was put on him. and he was brought back in front of his son. So I can tell you, start naming you the people, three weeks ago, a worker in Darlinghurst in Sydney dropped dead, and our deputy was taken out of the truck by one of his workmates and put on Mick, and Mick came back to life. So, you know, for me, it's just a, you know, I'm just fortunate, you know. I'm just fortunate that, you know, my life has gone in a direction where it's, it's not just about me, you know, like when I did Ironman and everything, you know, I was the best at it and, you know, and we went through the other podcast why and all the rest of it. But now it's, it's, it's more than just me, you know, it's, it's, it's a bigger story. And, and I feel like I can sort of spend the rest of my life on this earth, making a difference and, and making it worth something. Yeah. You money can't buy the feeling. that you get from knowing that you've helped someone else not just save their life but give them more years and their family. That is incredibly powerful. Well, you know it too because you're playing, you know, reality is that you and I play in the same space. You've come from a medical journey to where you are now and you've got your story and I've come from a sporting background and we've sort of met. in this, like, crossing of the railway lines at a certain point in our lives. And, you know, I think that, you know, in 10 years' time... What's that, mate? I was going to say, Guy, that's easy to explain because your why is very similar to mine and mine is summarised in I want to see people live as well as possible for as long as possible. Correct. You know, and the thing is, like, the step that... does my head in, and I don't want to go into this rant about COVID, and I thoroughly agree that COVID's a massive problem worldwide, and certain countries that haven't handled the COVID situation as well as we have here have had drastic issues with many deaths that shouldn't occur. But, mate, the numbers are this. Today, when people listen to this podcast, They'll be close to 100 Aussies who will drop dead from an electrical issue of their heart. Now, we're all going and getting vaccinations at the moment, and that's a good thing, right? And we're going to slowly but surely, you know, be able to live with this strong flu-like virus that is halting the world at the moment. And we'll get through it. But, you know, we're going to lose nearly 100 Aussies today. And it's my wish that there's a defib within 180 seconds of any Aussie that drops today and that there are people there willing to go and put that defib, put those pads on the person and let the defib do what it's meant to do. Now, if that was the case and we reached that goal and we start talking about goals again, we reached that goal, then tomorrow 70 of those people that would have died, would die today, will be around tomorrow with their family and their friends, and that includes a kid under the age of 10. So we're not just, you know, COVID gets mostly older people, and I get that it gets younger people too and all the rest, and I'm not saying it's great that it gets older people, don't get me wrong, but sudden cardiac arrest doesn't discriminate. There will be people today that are teenagers. that are in the prime of their life, about to go and have a great journey in front of them, and they will not be around tomorrow. 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds, and just even imagine what it's like for the poor parents that have a kid under the age of 10 today that doesn't make it because it is. So, you know, it is the biggest problem we've got in this country. Because we've got a solution for it. It's really, really easy. It's not like the vaccinations where we really don't know exactly what's going to happen over the next couple of years with the virus or the vaccinations to a degree. With sudden cardiac arrest, we know that a shot from a defib within the first three minutes gives the patient around a 70% chance of living. And if you ring the ambulance, you've got about a 6% chance of surviving. We know that. And we know that a two grand investment, is enough to save someone's life more than likely. So for those listening, there will be a link attached to this podcast so that you can follow through and find out more details about purchasing a device. But just in simple terms, is it the sort of thing that a family would buy, Guy, or is it a small business purchase? And you mentioned $2,000. Is that the average sort of price or are there a couple of options? Yeah, so you can get ones that are slightly less than that, but that's about what you're looking at. The defib that I like the most is that big. If you're looking at the screen, weighs about a kilogram, can be put in the car, can be taken to work in your home. Press one button, starts talking to you, tells you what to do, tells you to ring triple O, tells you to remove the shirt, where to put the pads. tells you whether it's going to shock or not, all those good things. It even tells you where to put your hands when you're doing CPR and it'll say, it'll coach you if you're not doing CPR correctly because it knows through the pads and say things like, can you push deeper? Push deeper, that's good. Quicker, gives you timing on how to do it. Like it's, my 14-year-old daughter could use it right now and bring someone back to life. So, and when you say, who's it for? We sell to people in homes that people have got heart issues and they're like they want to have one. We sell to schools, obviously, because we want kids in schools to be safe. Childcare centres, gyms, businesses, people with caravans going away, boats, you name it. But this is the kicker. The government hasn't made it mandatory yet. So if you go into a building, there has to be a fire extinguisher. in a building, right, which is fair enough. Like, there can be fires. So this year in Australia we'll lose about 100 people through a fire-related incident here in this country, which is not great. But fire extinguishers are mandatory in buildings. So defibrillators aren't mandatory in buildings, and we lose 100 people a day, not in a year, like fire in a day, and it's not mandatory. So I get that it costs a bit more, but, you know, what's a life worth? Really, you know, and the thing is the irony, and you'd know this, Doc, the irony with heart-related incidents is that when someone drops at work or at home where it happens a lot, the other person knows that person. You know, it's like you know the person. It's like we're not given the best chance of surviving. It's not like it's a stranger. And, you know, having done CPR a few times in my life now, it hurts when you know the person and you're trying to get them back. Like, you know, I couldn't have tried any harder with Chuck. And you obviously tried just as hard with everyone else, but it scars you more when you know the person. It really does. Well, a clear motivator and driver for you to try and replicate Seattle here in Australia. Well, that's the thing, isn't it? Like when you start looking at the best in breed, and I spoke on that previous podcast about always being inquisitive about what the opposition was doing and trying to improve and get better. Like I'm constantly looking at what we do in ways to get more defibs out there and how to get the message out there and train people up. And, yeah, look, you know, every week's a good week doing this because you get good results. but you just wish you could speed up at a quicker rate to get it to where Seattle is. I get that Seattle's had 70 years of, you know, stepping in the right direction with this, but both you and I play in a space where, you know, the heart is, you know, it's your most important asset in your body. You need it to keep pumping, to stay alive. $2,000 is an incredibly small investment to buy someone years of life back. There's no question that the logic stacks up in your desires and efforts there, Guy. No question. It's a really simple story to tell, but it's black and white. There's no grey area in this. And, you know, I did studies a few years ago, and it was less than half the schools in Australia had defibs. You know, less than 50% of the gyms at the time didn't have defibs. And I was getting a call once a month from a gym where someone dropped dead on a treadmill or machine or a rowing machine inside a gym that wanted a defib. And you're thinking, you know, like, we just want this thing to get better. So anyway, we keep on trying, keep pushing. For those listening who are at home or involved with schools, involved with sporting institutions, small businesses or large businesses, I really hope this podcast has motivated you to reflect on how you can help save a life. Guy, I'm going to thank you so much for your time as a lifesaver. Thank you. Doc, just one last thing I'd like to say too, because I just remembered, which is one that is important. There were 100 people in my group. Fit, predominantly males, 40 to 70 years of age, probably in the top one percentile of health and wellness from a fitness and sort of eating and, you know, lifestyle type point of view. After Chucky passed away, I said to them all, you've got 12 weeks to go and get your heart checked. You know, get a referral, referral to a doctor to go and see. a cardiologist like yourself, and get checked up because we don't want to be doing this again. We want to know what's going on inside our bodies, which most of them didn't know. And so 100 fit, healthy Aussies from the age of 40 to 70 went and got checked up. Five of them had to have stents put in straight away. One of them had two put in. He was the 40-year-old who was the fittest in the group. was about to represent Australia, two weeks later over in America in a five-hour race, running, swimming and paddling and cycling. Fifteen others had to go on medication. So, like, you, I think the big message here as well is that, sure, D-Fibs are great, but as you talk about and you're so passionate about, let's work out what's going on inside our bodies because... If that's representative of what Australians are like, being 5% need stents and 20% of those 100 people have to go on either stents or go on medication, then it makes sense that let's go and get checked up and make sure we know what's going on inside our bodies. Thank you for raising that, Guy. Of course, my passion is trying to prevent people having problems in the first place. The defibs are a tow truck response and I'm all about maintenance before we even get there. I mean, in the perfect world, we would have all those defibs in place but never actually need to use them because we can stop heart attack if we can find it. And the men that you alluded to, your paddling group, are exactly that. And anyone who's been affiliated with the Healthy Heart Network can listen to my other. podcasts or looked at my education would know that my passion is about being proactive and preventing those events in the first place. Thanks for mentioning that. No, I did that because I know that it's all well and good to get a DFID, which is pretty much life insurance, covering yourself, but why use it if you don't have to? And let's go back a step and say, you know, what do we do in our day to give ourselves a better chance of being healthier, which is important. But even more important is let's know what's going on inside our bodies because if we don't know, well, then you're running Russian roulette on what you do and you're doing a great job in what you do. Mate, you should be proud of all the work that you do. It's great. Thank you. Look, I feel privileged to be sharing with you today. I'm going to wrap it up just in the interest of time, not because I want to stop talking. That night of giving each other a wrap, we'll wrap it up. I'll wrap it up there. Look, thank you again so much for sharing, Guy. On your dock. For those listening, thank you so much for being engaged. I hope you got as much out of this as I did. A great reminder, some of those stats are frightening and something to aspire to. Till next time, I wish you the very best. Take care and bye for now. You have been listening to another podcast from Dr. Warrick. Visit his website at drWarrickbishop.com for the latest news on heart disease. If you love this podcast, feel free to leave us a review.
