23/10/2026
Would you hesitate to perform CPR on a woman?
❣️Did you know that women are less likely to receive CPR, especially by a man?❣️
Please don’t hesitate to save a life!!
💔Do the CPR💔
👙Cut the bra👙
💗Help to potentially save a life!!💗
All most people see is a fellow human being who’s very, very unwell. Most don’t give it a second thought!
You only need to expose someone’s chest to apply defib pads.
Otherwise you can do COR on top of clothing!
‘You cut that lady’s bra off - are you OK with that?’
Peter McLaughlin administered CPR and used a defibrillator on a female stranger to save her life. To apply the pads of the defib, he cut off the patient’s bra.
Peter was visiting his local job centre on behalf of his employer, organising a stall at an upcoming job fair. As he was preparing to leave, he noticed a crowd of people gathering.
He suddenly heard: ‘Where’s the first aider, we need a defibrillator!’
Outside of his day job, Peter is a volunteer Emergency Responder for St John Ambulance. Jumping into action, he arrived at the centre of the scene: a woman had collapsed in the toilets, hit her head, and wasn’t breathing.
“I did a quick DRABC check but there was no output at all. I started CPR and was shouting for a defibrillator. Two defibs were brought within a couple of minutes. I lifted the lady’s top up and she had a bra on which I needed to cut through so I could stick the defib pads on her.
“Normally I carry scissors with me, but I didn’t have any that day - so I shouted for someone to bring me a pair. I cut straight up through the middle of her bra.
“The defib analysed her heart rhythm but indicated no shock advised so I continued with the chest compressions.”
The patient started showing signs of life and was put into the recovery position. However, she went into cardiac arrest again shortly after. Peter began to administer the second round of CPR.
The police arrived from their base right next door, bringing a third defib with them. Their combined efforts revived the patient. The London Ambulance Service arrived and took over her care.
Giving CPR and defibrillation can stir up powerful emotions, and leave some first aiders feeling shaken. One of the officers on the scene was concerned for Peter's wellbeing, asking "‘You cut that lady’s bra off - are you OK with that?’"
“I told him 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.
“The main thing for me was that lady survived. In that situation, you don't see a man or a woman. You don’t think about gender. You just see a human. I did what I’ve been trained to do.”
