Defibrillators are those devices you’ve probably seen in TV dramas, where someone has suffered a heart attack and is in cardiac arrest, but is brought back to life from the brink by an electric shock from two metal plates applied to the victims chest.
One or two jolts of electricity and the victim regains consciousness and his heart is beating again. A life is saved.
This life-saving devices are called external defibrillators and used to be found only in medical facilities. Now, however, portable defibrillators, called automated extrenal defibrillators,orAED’sfor short, are required by Federal law to be standard eqiopment on airliners and are increasingly becoming part of many public service facilities.The reason? They save lives.
There’s been an uproar here in Chicago where I live because AED’s are not required by local authorities to be on commuter trains and public transit vehicles. And there have been a half-dozen cases on trains in the past two years where someone suffered a heart attack or another type of cardiac disruption and died on the train or on the platform or in the ambulance. Sadly, most of them would have survived if an AED had been present and used to revive them. CPR without a defribillator is unlikely to save the cardiac victim.
Cardiac arrest strikes nearly 350,000 persons each year in the U.S. alone and fewer than 10% of them ssurvive.But those who did survive had the benefit of being revived with an AED by someone who was present and administered the shock treatment.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the use of AED’s by police in Rochester, Minnesota,and by security guards at O’Hare and Midway Airports and at Las Vegas casinos have achieved a 50% to 75% survival rate for adults who suffered sudden cardiac arrest.
So why is the use of AED’s not more pervasive? Well, to begin with, cost is $1,000 to $1,500.So if Chicago, for example, has 700 buses, another 300 subway trains, it becomes a cost factor. Others say you need a medical professional to administer the device. But AED’s are really quite simple to operate. Just about anyone could do it.
AED’s can save a significant number of lives. And if you or a loved one has high risk factors for heart disease, you might to consider purchasing one for your home. Despite these tough economic times, how much is your or a family member’s life worth?
Other Posts on AED’s:
Metra rider dies, and lack of defibrillators debated – Chicago Tribune
The Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co., which operates 13 commuter rail lines carrying 140000 passengers a day, became the first major commuter rail line to install AEDs on all its trains earlier this year, said Richard Davey, … Read more…
Surviving Sudden Cardiac Arrest, by Dr. Holly Andersen | wowOwow
Specializing in providing AED’s to communities, businesses, schools and churches, LifeGuard Medical Solutions was formed as a champion of heart safety in response to the sudden cardiac arrest death of the founder’s father in 1999. … Read more…
Automated External Defibrillator – AED
AEDs are made to be used by layman who should have received AED training. It is a challenge to more complicated manual and semi-automatic defibrillators used by medical experts, which acts as a pacemaker if the heart rate is becomes too … Read more…
Could an AED Have Saved Tim Russert?
Many public spaces, including airports, casinos, office buildings and even golf courses, are now equipped with A.E.D.’s, which are the only real hope for surviving a cardiac arrest. An A.E.D., which is about the size of a laptop … Read more…
Should You Have an A.E.D. at Home? – Consults Blog – NYTimes.com
Strategically placed in public places like sports arenas and airports, A.E.D.’s have saved many lives. And for a few thousand dollars, you can purchase one for your home. So here’s the question for heart patients: If A.E.D.’s have been … Read more…
Affordable AED online | Ideal Choice
Now, www.americanaed.com has come out with a wonderful range of AEDs, which can provide you with handy but effective solution to every cardiac patient, in those few minutes of distress. They have AEDs across a wide price range starting … Read more…
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