A man who saved a woman’s life after she suffered a cardiac arrest in Kingston is urging the public not to hesitate when performing CPR.
Peter McLauglin, a St John Ambulance volunteer, gave emergency care to a 45-year-old woman who collapsed at Kingston-upon-Thames Guildhall. He performed CPR and called for a defibrillator — but first had to cut off her bra to correctly place the defibrillator pads.
“I didn’t have a choice”
Mr McLauglin said: “I didn’t have a choice. I either cut the bra off to get the defib pads on her or I don’t cut it off and she’s going to be leaving here in a very different situation.”
“You can’t hang around waiting for someone else to decide whether or not they feel comfortable about that. If you hesitate, it can be a whole different outcome.”
“In that situation, you don’t see a man or a woman, you don’t think about gender.”
“I’ve been brought up in a very traditional way to treat women with the utmost respect. But when a woman collapses in front of you and you need to remove her shirt and cut her bra off to save her life, you just have to put aside any embarrassment it may cause and save a life.”
“The main thing for me was that lady survived.”
A wider problem
His message comes as St John Ambulance launches a new campaign to address hesitation in giving CPR to women, particularly among men.
The charity warns that hesitation is “costing lives,” with women less likely to receive CPR in public settings than men.
This is not just a British problem. Research from around the world has consistently shown that women who suffer cardiac arrests in public are less likely to receive bystander CPR — and less likely to survive — than men.
The reasons are complex. Some bystanders worry about touching a woman’s chest. Some fear accusations of inappropriate behaviour. Some simply don’t know what to do.
The CPR bra
To challenge these concerns, St John Ambulance has partnered with Nikki Sanderson to launch the “CPR bra” — created by the charity to challenge concerns around touching breasts when giving CPR and raise awareness of the gender disparity.
The campaign aims to normalise the idea that saving a life matters more than embarrassment or awkwardness.
Why CPR matters
When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, every minute without CPR reduces their chance of survival. Bystander CPR can double or triple the chances of survival.
Defibrillators — the devices that can restart a heart — are increasingly common in public places. But they only work if someone is willing to use them, and willing to place the pads correctly on the chest.
For women, that means removing or cutting through clothing — including bras — to get proper pad contact with the skin. Hesitation at this critical moment can be fatal.
What to do
If you see someone collapse and they’re not breathing normally:
Call 999 immediately. Start chest compressions — push hard and fast in the centre of the chest. If there’s a defibrillator nearby, send someone to get it and follow its voice prompts.
Don’t worry about removing clothing. Don’t worry about embarrassment. As Peter McLauglin puts it: in that situation, you don’t see a man or a woman. You see someone who needs help.
St John Ambulance offers first aid training across the country. Learning CPR takes just a few hours — and it could save a life.
London Streets has been covering the London paramedic who spoke out after being assaulted and the Met’s new Inclusion Strategy consultation.
