A HEROIC father-of-three, who saved the life of a woman who had gone into cardiac arrest, has been honoured at an awards ceremony. Chris Seddon, of Burymead in Stevenage, is a duty manager on the Metropolitan line of the London Tube. He was working at Bak

A HEROIC father-of-three, who saved the life of a woman who had gone into cardiac arrest, has been honoured at an awards ceremony.

Chris Seddon, of Burymead in Stevenage, is a duty manager on the Metropolitan line of the London Tube. He was working at Baker Street underground station when a woman, Jan Thompson, collapsed on a platform.

A trained first aider, Mr Seddon was called to the scene. The 48-year-old said: "She had collapsed and gone blue and she was obviously dying. A doctor asked me to move out of the way. I told him I have a defibrillator and he said he didn't know how to use it. I said 'I do, I am trained.' I shocked her twice and got her heart going again. If we hadn't had the defibrillator she would have died."

Paramedics arrived and Mr Seddon helped carry Ms Thompson up three levels on a stretcher.

Ms Thompson, who is retired, survived the cardiac arrest which happened in February this year. She was subsequently treated for a heart condition, and is grateful to be able to continue a fulfilling life.

Mr Seddon received an award from consultant cardiologist Prof Douglas Chamberlain CBE at the National Lifesaver Defibrillator Awards, hosted by cardiac charity SADS UK (Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome) at the Royal College of Physicians in London on October 24.

Mr Seddon, who volunteered to be trained to use the automated external defibrillator (AED), said it is the first time he has had to use the lifesaving piece of equipment in an emergency. "It was scary, but I was living on adrenaline for the rest of the day," he said.

Anne Jolly, founder of SADS UK, said: "There are still too many preventable deaths from cardiac emergencies and we need increased availability in the community of the lifesaving skills and equipment which can help laypeople save lives.

"AEDs are so easy to use and if they are applied quickly it improves the chances of survival dramatically."

For more information about SADS UK, visit www.sads.org.uk