An ambulance charity plans to fund new cardiac equipment at the scene

An air ambulance service covering south-east England is hoping to introduce new equipment to help treat cardiac arrest patients.

The Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) charity wants a life support kit called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation at the scene to help increase the “speed and effectiveness” of treatment.

The organization, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this month, raised £1 million to buy a second rescue helicopter earlier this year.

David Welch, chief executive of KSS, said the service would “continually seek to collaborate and innovate to improve the care we provide”.

Duncan Butland, the charity’s medical director, said: “We are seeing innovation around the world and advances in technology in how we can support people’s hearts and lungs during cardiac arrest.”

The charity said it had carried out more than 46,000 missions since it was founded in 1989.

It responds to approximately nine emergency calls every day.

Sam Jenner, a former patient, is the focus of a charity’s Christmas fundraiser this year.

She was six months pregnant when she passed out due to cardiac arrest.

“Without KSS, many families like mine would have a very different future,” she said.

Kate Cheevers, who founded the organization as an independent charity, said: “Who would have thought our baby chick would become such a beautiful eagle?

“Anyone who was there at the beginning would be surprised and delighted at what has been achieved.”

More than 80,000 people participated in the recent KSS Restart a Heart campaign, which provided CPR training including with “Brighton and Gove Albion” footballers..