Packer Whacker

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A packer whacker is a colloquial Australian name given to portable defibrillators.

The name came about when Kerry Packer, a wealthy Australian media mogul, was resuscitated in 1990 in Sydney after suffering a heart attack.[1]

At that time, it was quite rare for ambulances in Australia to carry a defibrillator. An ambulance in the area, which was one of the few in the fleet to carry a defibrillator, responded to the call and managed to resuscitate Packer.

After recovering, Packer donated a large sum to the New South Wales Ambulance Service in order to fit all of its ambulances with portable defibrillators. As a result, a number of lives have been saved.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1], Australian Broadacsting Corporation, Great Moments in Science, Flatline & Defibrillator - Part 2, 2005


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