|
By Julie Kay, 2theadvocate.com
August 6th, 2005
Members of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church hope
they never need it, but they have it. First Presbyterian
Church also has one, but more congregations have yet
to talk about it.
The item in question is an automated external defibrillator,
a medical device capable of shocking the heart and
restoring its rhythm after a sudden cardiac arrest.
Mary Dudley, health-care committee chairperson at
Shiloh, said her church bought a defibrillator just
over two years ago in order to be proactive...Complete
Article
PRNewswire
August 3rd, 2005
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Mrs. Raj Pombra
of Foster City, California, has filed suit against
24 Hour Fitness, Inc., in Los Angeles Superior Court,
at the Central Courthouse, for negligent failure to
equip its health clubs with automatic external defibrillators,
thereby causing the death of her son, Nick Pombra.
Shortly after noon, on July 26, 2004, Nick Pombra,
41, who had no history of heart trouble and was in
good health, was working out on a treadmill at the
24 Hour Fitness facility...Complete
Article
By Jana Renn,
Loudoun Times-Mirror
August 2nd, 2005
A calm younger brother, a rapid response and an
automated external defibrillator – together,
these three elements may have saved the life of Lucketts
resident Shawne Harlow.
Shawne, 20, brother Shayne Harlow, 15, friends Mike
Hetrick and Brandi Shelton, 20, and a dog were struck
by lightning July 27 at about 5:40 p.m. in the driveway
of the Harlow home on Newvalley Church Road near Lucketts...Complete
Article
By David Martin,
www.timesonline.co.uk
August 1st, 2005
A defibrillator designed for home use is so simple
that a child could operate it. But will it save the
lives of those at risk from heart problems?
IT’S LATE AT night, and the patient’s
heart has stopped beating. Cue George Clooney, who
races in, grabs two alarming-looking paddles and,
with a grave “stand clear”, zaps the patient’s
chest with an electric shock to re-establish a regular
heartbeat. It looks so easy in the television world
of ER....Complete
Article
www.channelasianews.com
July 19th, 2005
SINGAPORE : By the end of August, every public swimming
pool will have a defibrillator, and staff trained
to use them.
This is part of the Singapore Sports Council's efforts
to improve water safety measures.
There are also emergency rescue plans, daily inspection
of pools and safety equipment and rules on student-to-swimming-instructor
ratio.
All pools also have trained lifeguards on duty at
all times...Complete
Article
By Edward L. Cardenas, The Detroit News
July 19th, 2005
HARRISON TOWNSHIP -- The three Macomb County Sheriff's
Office patrol cars assigned to Harrison Township soon
will be equipped with the latest in lifesaving technology.
Each of the cars will carry automatic external defibrillators,
and each of the deputies assigned to the township
will be trained how to use them by Harrison Township
firefighters...Complete
Article
Stoney Creek News
July 15th, 2005
Earlier this year, Wild Waterworks has purchased
a HeartStart OnSite Defibrillator. Sudden cardiac
arrest is the No. 1 cause of death in Canada. In more
than 80 per cent of the cases, rapid defibrillation
would be beneficial and research has shown maximum
benefit when defibrillation is provided under five
minutes from the point of collapse....Complete
Article
By Ken de la Bastide, The Herald Bulletin
July 14th, 2005
Linda Stevens has been training city employees in
how to perform CPR and will soon be teaching them
how to use a defibrillator.
As part of the Madison County SAVES (Support Activities
of Vital Emergency Services) program, Community Hospital
has donated a defibrillator to be placed in the City
Building.
Stevens, along with Renee Castor and Cindy Summers
in the Human Resources Department, is trained to teach
CPR. Stevens has worked for the city for 28 years
and been a CPR trainer for 14 years....Complete
Article
Joe Gardyasz, Des Moines Business Record Online
July 10th, 2005
If it were up to Sam Patterson, automated external
defibrillators would someday be as commonly available
in public buildings and workplaces as fire extinguishers
and first aid kits are now.
It's the AED success stories he hears week after
week that keep Patterson, the training center coordinator
for the Mercy School of Emergency Medical Services,
pushing for more placement of the devices by organizations
throughout Central Iowa...Complete
Article
News Times
July 8th, 2005
The Oregon Pacific Chapter of the American Red Cross
will be greatly expanding its Health & Safety
and Youth Services Programs due to a generous grant
from the Ford Family Foundation.
The two-year $260,000 grant will give the well-established,
non-profit Red Cross the opportunity to significantly
increase its First Aid, CPR, Automated External Defibrillator
(AED) and other Health & Safety Programs throughout
the chapter region with an emphasis on Coos, Curry,
Douglas and Lincoln counties. ..Complete
Article
WECT 6 Wilmington
July 7th, 2005
A miracle occurred at Supply Elementary School recently,
and that miracle came in the form of a defibrillator.
Theodore Johnson was playing basketball in a senior
league when he collapsed from a heart attack. As he
was going into cardiac arrest, assistant school teacher
Darrilyn Bellamy used the school's defibrillator to
save his life...Complete
Article
By Tom Moore, Santa Cruz Sentinel Online Edition
July 5th, 2005
SANTA CRUZ — Lloyd Anderson went down at the
right place.
Running in the Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary Firecracker
10k Monday, Anderson of Fremont suffered a heart attack
and fell early in the race near the pool at Harvey
West Park.
Before he hit the ground, he was in the hands of
the Aptos/La Selva Beach Fire District. Captain Jeremy
Gilbert was running with six other from the department.
Gilbert caught Anderson, 74, before he hit the pavement...Complete
Article
By Micholyn Fajen, DesMoinesRegister.com
July 5th, 2005
A West Des Moines police officer who in February
saved the life of a Martensdale man has received the
police department's life-saving award.
Officer Todd Cline was honored in a ceremony at the
police station last month for using a portable device
to shock Richard Peterson's heart and restore its
rhythm. Cline was accompanied by a gathering of his
co-workers and a grateful Peterson...Complete
Article
By Dana Knight, Indystar.com
July 4th, 2005
They're appearing on workplace walls across Indiana.
A critical tool that companies spend thousands of
dollars to buy and then hope they never have to use.
The life-saving automated external defibrillator,
a device once reserved for ambulances and emergency
rooms to save patients in cardiac arrest, is finding
a permanent home in factories, office buildings and
other workplaces...Complete
Article
PR Newswire
May 26th, 2005
IRVINE, Calif., May 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Cardiac Science Inc.
(Nasdaq: DFIB), a leading manufacturer of live-saving
automatic public-access
defibrillators (AEDs), announced today that Florida's
Turnpike Enterprise, a
division of the Florida Department of Transportation,
has purchased
Powerheart(R) AEDs for deployment in the fleet of
Safety Patrol trucks...Complete
Article
By Katie Friedman, Monticello Times.com
May 31st, 2005
A potentially life-saving project launched by Monticello
Rotarians in cooperation with the Monticello-Big Lake
Community Hospital has caught the interest of area
business owners, and across town, heart-starting defibrillators
are popping up like spring flowers. At the Rotary’s
invitation, eight area businesses and one local public
facility have agreed to install defibrillators...Complete
Article
By Marianne George, Detroit Free Press
May 13th, 2005
On May 10, Marissa Towler went to class at Whitmore
Lake Elementary School like any other day. But she
never came home. The 10-year-old collapsed on a school
track and died a short time later.
Marissa's death raises questions about emergency medical response in schools
and has caused officials from the school district
and the ambulance company to review their policies....Complete
Article
By Dave Schneider, The Daily News
May 19th, 2005
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen anytime, anywhere
to people of all ages.
The Northwoods Charter Secondary School received
a Life Pak 500 Automated External Defibrillator Tuesday
through a grant program networked by Charter School
nurse Kerri Schmidt and Kevin Schlosser, ambulance
manager for Oneida County EMS. The program has now
completed ten AED installations in the School District
of Rhinelander...Complete
Article
Yahoo Finance
May 20th, 2005
Fully-Automatic Powerheart(R) AED Only Requires Attachment
to Victim to Provide Lifesaving Treatment
IRVINE, Calif., May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Cardiac Science, Inc. (Nasdaq: DFIB - News), a leading
manufacturer of live-saving public-access defibrillators
(AEDs), today announced that it has been granted approval
by the Canadian Regulatory Agency, Health Canada Therapeutic
Products Directorate (HCTPD), to begin marketing its
patented fully-automatic Powerheart® public-access
AED in Canada...Complete
Article
By Eve Sullivan, The ADVOCATE
May 18th, 2005
STAMFORD -- A defibrillator was placed behind the
front desk at Stamford police headquarters yesterday
in memory of Sgt. James Delano, who suffered a heart
attack while working there in December and later died.
His mother, Kathleen Delano, put the defibrillator
in a glass case printed with her son's name and the
years that he worked on the police force, 1978 to
2004...Complete
Article
By Julie Waresh, PalmBeachPost.com
May 18th, 2005
The American Heart Association honored the Coral
Lakes development west of Boynton Beach this month
as Palm Beach County's first Heart Ready community.
The award, created last year, goes to counties, cities
and communities that have well-run programs to save
victims of sudden cardiac arrest through the use of
automated external defibrillators....Complete
Article
The Clarion News
May 17th, 2005
The Clarion County Sheriff’s Office recently
received an Automated External Defibrillator through
a Rural Access to Emergency Devices grant. Chris Heile,
assistant director of EMMCO West in Meadville, presented
the AED to Beverly Voris, deputy with the Sheriff’s
office.
CLARION – EMMCO West, Inc., the Regional Emergency
Management Services Office for Northwestern Pennsylvania
, recently awarded the Clarion County Sheriff’s
Office with an Automated External Defibrillators through
a Rural Access to Emergency Devices grant...Complete
Article
U.S. Newswire
May 17th, 2005
BOSTON, May 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -— Studies show
that when cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is done
right away — and correctly — it saves
lives. However, the chances of that happening aren't
very good, reports the May issue of the Harvard Health
Letter. Some studies have found that as few as one
in 20 people who have a cardiac arrest outside of
the hospital survive, even with CPR. And even health
professionals often don't perform the procedure correctly....Complete
Article
By Maggie Barrett, WFU News Service
May 16th, 2005
Wake Forest University awarded three honorary degrees
during its commencement ceremony May 16. The 9 a.m.
ceremony held on Thomas K. Hearn Jr. Plaza (the Quad)
featured golf legend and Wake Forest alumnus Arnold
Palmer as speaker...Complete
Article
By Paul Mangino, E-CircleOfLife.com
The American Heart Association approximates 250,000
victims annually; The United States Federal Government
approximates 350,000 victims annually. No matter what
statistics one is to review the numbers are staggering,
approximately 700 to1000 people per day die and become
fallen victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). ...Complete
Article
Newsday.com
May 15th, 2005
PHILADELPHIA -- An autopsy was conducted Sunday on
the Boston College rower who died after collapsing
at the Dad Vail Regatta, but results were not immediately
released.
Jeff Moran, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Medical
Examiner's Office, said there would be no announcement
Sunday following the autopsy on Scott Laio, who collapsed
Saturday after his crew won the men's lightweight
eight. A spokesman for Boston College said Saturday
that the junior from Pittsford, N.Y., apparently suffered
a heart attack...Complete
Article
WoonsocketCall.com
May 13th, 2005
LINCOLN -- The sudden death of a 14-year-old baseball
player this week may spark a push to make defibrillators
accessible during Lincoln’s myriad youth sports
events.
On Monday, Lincoln High School freshman Michael Monteleone
collapsed and died during baseball practice. The death
of a seemingly healthy and athletic teen shocked the
community, though the state medical examiner’s
office has still not announced the cause of death...Complete
Article
By Jennifer L. Boen, FortWayne.com
May 13th, 2005
The American Heart Association planned to honor today
numerous Fort Wayne residents and others from surrounding
communities for helping to save lives. The “Heart
and Stroke Heroes” were to be presented their
awards at the Grand Wayne Convention Center for performing
CPR or using an automated external defibrillator (AED)
on a person in need...Complete
Article
Cambridge Evening News
May 12th, 2005
LIFESAVER Margaret Else has been honoured for her
actions after saving a man who had two heart attacks
in his home.
The MAGPAS volunteer community first responder resuscitated
Fred Norris at his home in Ramsey on September 14
last year. She has now been awarded a Royal Humane
Society resuscitation certificate.
Mrs Else, 54, of Upwood Road, Bury, said: "I
received a text message from the East Anglian Ambulance
Service saying a man needed medical attention...Complete
Article
By Elaine Van DeVelde, Sentinel
May 10th, 2005
EDISON — Police don’t know if it was
the equipment, the timing or both.
Nonetheless, they’re grateful they had a defibrillator
on hand May 3 when they arrived first on the scene
where an unconscious woman lay on the floor of her
home with no pulse.
After being shocked with the portable machine —
that officers now carry in their cars — before
emergency response personnel arrived, the woman survived
and is “conscious, alert and doing well,”
said Lt. Matthew Freeman...Complete
Article
By Mark Stine, KOLD News 13
May 7th, 2005
Students write essays all the time. But these Marana
students wrote essays, this time, not for grades,
but for the chance to save a life.
"I wanted to go with contributing something
other than me just being here the past four years,"
Meghan Franco said.
Meghan Franco, Kayla Evanchak, and Amber Humphrey
wanted to leave a legacy. That's why they wrote the
essay. the girls wanted marana high school to have
an automatic external defribrillator...Complete
Article
First Coast News
May 5th, 2005
TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Florida legislators passed a bill
Wednesday that will help more law enforcement agencies
across the state have Automated External Defibrillators,
or AEDs in their vehicles....Complete
Article
By Julie Waresh, Neighborhood Post
May 4th, 2005
When tennis player Ed Schwartz saw a friend slump
in his chair courtside last month, he knew just what
to do.
The 75-year-old resident of Palm Isles dropped his
racket and sprinted for the tennis shack, where he
retrieved a portable defibrillator.
The victim had no pulse and the machine, designed
to deliver life-saving electrical shocks to heart-attack
victims, had directions that told Schwartz how to
administer treatment...Complete
Article
DuluthNewsTribune.com
May 4th, 2005
GREEN BAY, Wis. - An eighth-grader who collapsed
during a gym class held at a park Wednesday and later
died had a medical condition that put him at greater
risk of a sudden heart problem, authorities said.
The Washington Middle School student had been running
during the class at nearby Joannes Park when he collapsed,
said Amanda Brooker, a spokeswoman for the Green Bay
school district...Complete
Article
PR Newswire
May 3rd, 2005
Irvine, CA. - Cardiac
Science Inc. (Nasdaq: DFIB), a leading manufacturer
of live-saving automatic
public-access defibrillators (AEDs), and Baltimore
County jointly announced
today that Cardiac Science had been named the exclusive
marketing partner and
provider of AEDs, comprehensive AED/CPR training and
AED program management
services for a county-wide Public Access Defibrillator
(PAD) program launched
by Baltimore County, MD...Complete
Article
Medical News Today
May 1st, 2005
Studies show that when cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR) is done right away - and correctly - it saves
lives. However, the chances of that happening aren't
very good, reports the May issue of the Harvard Health
Letter. Some studies have found that as few as 1 in
20 people who have a cardiac arrest outside of the
hospital survive, even with CPR. And even health professionals
often don't perform the procedure correctly. ..Complete
Article
By Brian O'Shea, gmtoday.com
April 28th, 2005
OCONOMOWOC - More than six years ago, Adam Lemel
died doing what he loved best - playing basketball.
The 17-year-old Whitefish Bay High School student
died of cardiac arrest Jan. 22, 1999. His mother,
Patty Lemel of Oconomowoc, will be honored Saturday
by the American Red Cross Milwaukee Chapter with a
Hero of the Year award...Complete
Article
The Village News
April 21st, 2005
Frazier Elementary is the latest school to receive
and to be trained in the use of the Automatic External
Defibulator (AED). Originally, this program was implemented
by airlines. If a passenger had a heart attack while
in flight, his chance of survival was minimal. The
AED, along with CPR, greatly increases the chances
of survival...Complete
Article
By Shana Kelley, WISHTV.com
April 19th, 2005
(Indianapolis) - Defibrillators could mean the difference
between life and death for the victim of a heart attack,
but the devices are not often readily available. Administrators
of Lawrence Township schools say the machines bring
peace of mind.
On Tuesday members of a Lawrence Township neighborhood
organization presented defibrillators to two Lawrence
Township schools...Complete
Article
PR Newswire
April 11th, 2005
RVINE, Calif., April 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Cardiac Science, Inc.
(Nasdaq: DFIB), a leading manufacturer of public-access
defibrillators (AEDs),
today announced that the city of Miami purchased approximately
100 new fully-
automatic version Powerheart(R) G-3 AEDs as part of
its citywide Public Access
Defibrillation Program (PAD). The $200,000 order for
Miami's "Team for Life"
PAD project follows the City's initial order last
Fall for 42 Powerhearts that
were deployed in city buildings and parks. The latest
deployment of
Powerhearts are earmarked principally for use in city
police vehicles...Complete
Article
By Tom McKee, WCPO.com
April 11th, 2005
Good Samaritans and great technology are the reasons
a Hamilton man is still alive.
Two nurses had never met Thomas Bohemer before they
saved his life at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky
International Airport.
When Bohemer had a heart attack at the airport, an
automatic external defibrillator, or "AED"
was nearby, along with the nurses....Complete
Article
By Tara Meissner, Washingtonpost.com
April 10th, 2005
WO RIVERS — Literally every second counts when
a person goes into cardiac arrest.
According to the American Heart Association, every
year more than 480,000 adult Americans die of a heart
attack or related complications. About half of these
deaths result from sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac
arrest is most likely to occur in the first hour after
the onset of symptoms of a heart attack, typically
before a victim arrives at a hospital. It will result
in death, unless the emergency treatment is provided
immediately...Complete
Article
By Maria Glod, Washingtonpost.com
April 10th, 2005
Loudoun County has them. So does Fauquier. Now Fairfax
County school officials are considering placing portable
defibrillators, devices that could save the life of
someone in cardiac arrest, in all schools and administration
buildings, and training staff members to use them.
School officials said the district would need 580
Automated External Defibrillators, or AEDs, to ensure
that one could be reached in minutes from any office,
classroom or gymnasium should a student, staff member
or visitor collapse without warning. The laptop-size
device delivers a jolt of electricity that can restore
a normal heartbeat....Complete
Article
AberdeenNews.com
April 8th, 2005
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - High school coaches know how
important training is, even off the field. Lincoln
High School football coach Aaron Beavers was reminded
this week how it can save lives.
Beavers put his training on CPR and how to use a
defibrillator to use Tuesday night, when junior Jake
Wampler collapsed after an offseason workout....Complete
Article
By J.D. Gallop, Florida Today
April 7th, 2005
Three Brevard County Sheriff's deputies are heroes
today to a Merritt Island family after using an automated
defibrillator to save the life of a 70-year-old grandfather
having a heart attack.
"The deputies did a great job, they brought
my uncle back," said Louswana Marcum, one of
several family members who watched as deputies worked
to save Donald Thompson. Her uncle was visiting from
Ohio when he began having chest pains. ...Complete
Article
SafetyMate® is
the First and Only Portable First Aid Responder Device
with American Red Cross and Homeland Security Protocols
IRVINE, CA (March 26, 2002) - SafetyMate Corporation
announced today that it will be launching its premiere
first aid responder device, SafetyMate®, at the
2004 Homeland & Global Security Summit in Washington,
D.C., beginning on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 at the
Washington Convention Center. To preview the SafetyMate
device first hand at the Homeland Summit, please visit
booth number 612....Complete
Article
By Latisha R. Gray, The Daily Reflector
April 2nd, 2005
With the local running season under way, race organizers
are not concerned with who wins or loses, but that
everyone crosses the finish line safely.
Having an automated external defibrillator at a racing
event may not have been the first thought for organizers
two years ago. But after the death of two area men
during two separate events, now it's a priority....Complete
Article
CBC.ca Saskatchewan
March 31st, 2005
REGINA – A 34-year-old hockey player who went
into cardiac arrest on the ice Wednesday night will
have a chance to play again.
That's because of quick action by staff at the Canlan
Ice Sport Jemini arena in Saskatoon – and the
fact the arena had a portable defibrillator on hand....Complete
Article
By Christie Chapman
NewsAdvance.com
March 26th, 2005
AMHERST, VA - By the middle of next month, boxes
storing potentially life-saving equipment will hang
on walls outside main offices of all Amherst County
schools.
The county is among the first school districts in
Virginia to have an automatic external defibrillator
(AED) in each of its schools, said school officials
and a representative from the company that sold the
equipment.
The laptop computer-sized boxes are portable and
battery-operated. They are equipped with adult- and
child-sized pads that help deliver an electric shock
to the heart to restore normal rhythm to heart attack
victims before the ambulance arrives...Complete
Article
By Mona Sandefur
The Benton Evening News
March 24th, 2005
Randy House and his wife, Debbie, have donated an
AED unit to Benton Consolidated High School.
This makes the school's second automated external
defibrillator. It is currently located outside the
school's office door.
Prepared to talk users through the process of saving
someone's life in case of sudden cardiac arrest, the
battery-operated AED unit sits in a storage box donated
by the Rotary Club...Complete
Article
Sharon Advocate
March 18th, 2005
James Carlson, President of Sharon Credit Union,
recently presented a check in the amount of $2,000
to Sharon Police Lt. Tilden Kaufman and Chief Joseph
Bernstein for the Sharon Defibrillator Fund.
Sharon is in the process of raising funds to help
equip the Emergency Response Vehicles and town offices
with defibrillators. Police are usually the first
to report to an emergency call and therefore it is
vital to supply police cruisers with these state-of-the-art
life saving devises...Complete
Article
By Karina Spiess, Great Neck Record
March 18th, 2005
The police booth in the Village of Great Neck Plaza's
Gussack Plaza municipal parking lot is now outfitted
with a lifesaving defibrillator. At a special ceremony
on March 3, filmed by a crew from News 12, Roger Chizever,
past president of The Great Neck Rotary Club, presented
the new defibrillator to Sergeant Kenneth Waren of
Nassau County Police Department's 6th Precinct.
Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender presented the
$1,500 check for the new defibrillator, and said that
she was proud of the cooperative efforts of the Village
of Great Neck Plaza, the Great Neck Rotary Club and
the Chamber of Commerce's We Care Committee. "This
just shows what can be accomplished when people work
together towards a goal," said Mayor Celender...Complete
Article
By Sarah Schaffer, BaltimoreSun.com
March 11th, 2005
Seven members of the Anne Arundel police force were
honored Wednesday for saving the life of a man who
went into cardiac arrest last month at the Western
District patrol station in Odenton.
"On Valentine's Day, we saved a heart,"
said Police Chief P. Thomas Shanahan, who awarded
certificates of appreciation to the seven, who performed
cardiopulmonary resuscitation and then used an automated
external defibrillator, known as an AED, to resuscitate
county worker Gary Glennon.
The honorees were: Capt. Athena Marpel, Lt. J. Doyle
Batten, Sgt. Kathy Pleasant. Cpl. William Schepleng,
Cpl. Brian Smith, Officer Thomas Middleton and booking
Officer Larry Branson.
After congratulating the officers, Shanahan, County
Executive Janet S. Owens and Glennon used the event
to promote AEDs as a crucial lifesaving tool. "It's
clear that this simple little instrument [can make]
all the difference in the world," Owens said...Complete
Article
By Carrie Peyton Dahlberg, Sacramento Bee
March 13th, 2005
Sheriff's Sgt. Scott Swain has no memory of slumping
out of his seat during a training class, twitching
and grunting on a hotel conference room floor as he
turned a pale purple-blue.
Instructor David Hayes remembers it vividly. The
way he coordinated CPR. The way a fellow student rushed
out for the hotel's defibrillation machine. The way
Hayes shocked Swain once, once again, and then three
more times before his quivering heart took hold and
resumed a strong, steady beat.
"It was what saved his life," said Sabrena
Swain, radiating relief a few days later as her husband
was readied for the surgery that would implant a tiny
defibrillator in his chest.
With his successful resuscitation at a Sacramento,
Calif., Holiday Inn, Swain joined a small but growing
group of survivors who have been shocked back to life
at ski resorts, casinos, hotels and city halls...Complete
Article
By Joe Kollin, Sun-Sentinel.com
March 12th, 2005
WESTON · Help is now a step closer for heart
attack victims in the city.
Starting Sunday, Weston businesses must provide the
public with easy-to-use automatic external defibrillators
under an ordinance believed to be the first of its
kind in the state.
Although business operators and landlords who don't
have the device installed and inspected will face
60 days in jail and a $500 fine, city officials don't
expect to begin citing violators anytime soon...Complete
Article
By Rick Maese, Orlando Sentinel
March 10th, 2005
The doctor tending to Bishop Moore boys basketball
coach Rob Graham said the coach likely would have
fared better if a defibrillator could have resuscitated
his heart sooner.
"Early defibrillation would have given Coach
Graham a chance for a better neurological outcome,"
Dr. Michael Rodricks said.
Rodricks, a critical- care physician at Florida Hospital
Orlando, spoke with reporters for the first time Wednesday
and provided the most thorough public report since
Graham suffered sudden cardiac arrest in the opening
minutes of a basketball game Feb. 19th. ...Complete
Article
By Jean Mikle, Ashbury Park Press
TOMS RIVER — Two high school students from
Dover Township are alive today because staff members
at Toms River high schools South and East acted quickly
last fall, district officials said Monday night.
Six staff members — three from each school
— were honored at Monday's Board of Education
meeting for their actions and were given proclamations
by the board.
Police and district officials gave the following
account of the first incident, which happened in mid-November:
A 15-year-old Toms River High School South sophomore
collapsed in the school's gymnasium while working
out. Health and physical education teacher John DeMarco
began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on
the boy, James Messersmith, assisted by school nurses
Ruth Kalwinsky and Cathy Shea....Complete
Article
TheWBALChannel.com
March 9th, 2005
ODENTON, Md. -- People experience broken hearts
every Valentine's Day -- but for an Anne Arundel County
man, it happened literally.
Gary Glennon suffered a heart attack on Valentine's
Day morning, and he's alive today thanks, in part,
to a life-saving machine, WBAL-TV 11 News reporter
Noel Tucker reported.
The Anne Arundel County Police Department has in
its at the Western District station an automatic external
defibrillator (AED). In fact, the device arrived six
months ago.
But does it work? ...Complete
Article
By Daniel Garcia Ordaz, Valley Morning Star
HARLINGEN — Peter Mihok feels like a bionic
man.
After working more than 50 years in aviation, which
included wiring the lunar module that carried astronauts
to the moon, Mihok recently had his heart re-wired
after a cardiac arrest.
Mihok, 73, collapsed after his heart stopped while
playing tennis on Feb. 21 at Sunshine Country Club
in Harlingen. Several people at the country club assisted
Mihok before paramedics arrived.
Lenore Combs said she was in an adjacent swimming
pool with her husband John when they heard a call
for help. Mihok’s tennis partners Rodney Fink,
Ron Salemi and Jim Estey provided rescue breathing
as Carol Wilke called 9-1-1, Combs said.
Lenore Combs, a nurse midwife, said she performed
CPR on Mihok. John Combs, a past director of emergency
services at the American Red Cross in Harlingen, attached
an automated external defibrillator on Mihok’s
chest....Complete
Article
By Shane NcGrath, County News
THE town of Ballyhaunis was the scene of a novel
launch last week when fitted with cardiac emergency
equipment that can improve a heart attack victim’s
survival chances by up to 70%. The Supervalu supermarket
in the town, in conjunction with the local Croí
Friends Ballyhaunis & District Committee, installed
a LifePak Defibrillator to deal with cardiac emergencies,
a move that also saw six staff members of the shop
undergo a training programme in the equipment’s
use.
Manager of Supervalu, Mr Pat Ryan, told The Mayo
News this week that the initiative was just the latest
manifestation of the co-operation between the heart
charity and the town of Ballyhaunis. "Croí
do a huge amount of fundraising in the town, and we
have helped them out with sponsorship. They asked
in October if we would be interested in installing
the defibrillator in our new store, and the result
of this was the unveiling of the equipment last week."...Complete
Article
Senior Project - Defibrillators for Schools
By MARTI MAGUIRE, Newsobserver.com
SMITHFIELD -- Cynthia Patterson can pick out the
spot on the Smithfield-Selma High School basketball
court where 16-year-old Quentin Brown died suddenly
of heart failure during a 1996 game. As a student
athlete who is genetically predisposed to a sudden
death like Brown's, the memory stayed with her.
So the Smithfield-Selma High senior undertook an
impressive task for her senior project -- raising
enough money to put a defibrillator in each of Johnston's
six high schools.
Defibrillators give an electric shock that can restore
a normal heartbeat during cardiac arrest. Public access
to them is considered the best way to prevent the
estimated 100 student-athlete deaths from sudden cardiac
arrest that occur nationwide each year.
The American Heart Association lists these signs
of cardiac arrest:
* Sudden loss of responsiveness. No response to gentle
shaking.
* No normal breathing. The victim does not take a
normal breath when you check for several seconds.
* No signs of circulation. No movement or coughing.
If cardiac arrest occurs, the association recommends
calling 911 and beginning cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
If an automated external defibrillator and someone
trained to use it are nearby, involve them...Complete
Article
School Administrator, Oct, 2003 by Kristin Hanson
1 Pick a program
coordinator and a medical consultant. A physician's
prescription is necessary to buy an AED. The prescription
can come from any licensed M.D. or D.O. (such as the
school physician, a volunteer parent or even your
own doctor). In the case of an event involving the
AED, the physician and program coordinator should
review the incident and response, and assess whether
any quality-improvement adjustments could be made
to the emergency response plan.
2 Review state laws and regulations. All U.S. states
have Good Samaritan laws that provide immunity from
legal liability when using an AED to help someone.
Some states also have laws that mandate the presence
of an AED in schools or at school events. Laws vary
from state to state. (See www.early-defib.org.)...Complete
Article
School Administrator, Oct, 2003 by Mary Newman
During a tragic week in January 2003, three students
from different schools in New York City suddenly collapsed
in cardiac arrest. Catherine Bodden, 16, was in the
classroom; Kimario Green, 19, was in gym class; and
Randy Collote, 13, was trying out for base, ball.
The schools did not have automated external defibrillators
(AEDs) handy, and all three students died. [paragraph]
Do schools in your community have AEDs? If they don't,
it may be time for a change...Complete
Article
Lori Rackl, Health Reporter, January 19th, 2005
CPR 'not being done very well' January 19, 2005
BY LORI RACKL Health Reporter CPR is a key lifesaving
technique, but doctors, nurses and paramedics often
don't perform it the right way, according to two studies
published today in the Journal of the American Medical
Association.
In one study, University of Chicago researchers
measured how closely hospital staff follow guidelines
for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a series of chest
compressions and breaths that can save the lives of
cardiac arrest victims.
They studied 67 people who went into cardiac arrest
at University of Chicago Hospitals and found rescuers
often didn't push down hard enough or frequently enough
on patients' chests. Another mistake: They breathed
air into victims' lungs too much -- potentially throwing
patients' blood pressure out of whack...Complete
Article
School Administrator, Oct, 2003 by Mary Newman
It's been said that there is nothing more painful
than losing a child. When a child dies suddenly from
cardiac arrest, the loss can be particularly traumatic
in light of the assumption that this doesn't happen
to children ... and the fact that the cure for most
cases, rapid defibrillation, is so well established.
Perhaps it is this deep anguish, and the need to draw
some good out of it, that has motivated a growing
number of parents to become champions for AED placement
in schools...Complete
Article
Business Wire, Feb 12, 2004 Business Editors/Health/Medical
Writers
CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 2004
ZOLL Medical Corporation (NASDAQ: ZOLL), a manufacturer
of non-invasive cardiac resuscitation devices, today
announced an agreement with the American Red Cross
to make ZOLL's existing
automated external defibrillator (AED), the AED
Plus(TM), more accessible to the public and businesses
nationwide through the Red Cross network of local
chapters, as an accessory to CPR and AED training.
The Red Cross will focus on increasing defibrillation
awareness by providing access to AEDs and AED ancillary
items in conjunction with its mission to provide lifesaving
CPR/AED training...Complete
Article
Districts are required to equip gyms with defibrillators
by 2006 PJStar.com, October 11, 2004 by Angela
Green
PEORIA - It appears cash-strapped District 150 will
have to come up with about another $100,000 in its
next budget to ensure all of its schools are outfitted
with a lifesaving device called an automatic external
defibrillator.
The equipment, called an AED for short, cuts down
the response time for treating a victim of sudden
cardiac arrest and could mean the difference between
life and death, according to local health officials.
By 2006, every school district in the state will
be required to equip their indoor gym areas with one
or more of the machines, which roughly cost between
$1,500 and $3,000 each, and provide training on how
to use them.
But many area superintendents worry that this latest
unfunded state mandate, while a good cause, could
be yet another budget headache for schools that don't
have a few thousand dollars - or more - to readily
spare... Complete
Article
Local health officials say $3,000 price tag, need
for special training make devices unsuitable for home
use in most cases The Courier, by Amee Bohrer
Even though the federal Food and Drug Administration
last week approved over-the-counter sales of automated
external defibrillators, local medical officials say
not only are they unnecessary, in most cases the $3,000
cost might be better spent elsewhere.
The only time they agree the devices could be useful
is if there is a pre-existing heart condition in the
home.
The machines work by using an electrical shock to
stop the heart from quivering, or fibrillating, and
stimulate it back its natural rhythm.
The machines have been introduced in such public
institutions as airports, schools, work places, shopping
malls, sport complexes and places of worship for a
couple years... Complete
Article
HarvardHillside.com, by M.E. Jones HARVARD
-- "Once you start ... don't abandon" the
task, Lynne Kennefick was saying. The first aid trainer
was talking about cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or
CPR, the subject of a course she conducted for a group
of elementary-school teachers in the Harvard Elementary
School (HES) cafeteria.
Though she didn't say so, the admonition might also
apply to the commitment these 18 teachers had made
to learn a skill that saves lives.
The two-hour session consisted of a comprehensive
lecture and slide presentation, demonstrations and
hands-on instruction. The course ends with a test
for CPR certification, which is renewed every two
years.
CPR is a continuous process, the instructor said.
And unless the person performing it gets too "exhausted,"
he or she should stick with it until someone else
takes over, a doctor, nurse or emergency services
pro like Kennefick, who has 15 years experience in
the field and serves on the Harvard Ambulance Squad...
Complete Article
School Administrator, Oct, 2003 by Shannon Bulger
Not much happens in my hometown of Sammamish, Washington.
So when Sean Shipler, a 14-year old football star,
went into sudden cardiac arrest in the middle of gym
class, it had a major impact on the community. There
was no AED at the school, and although people did
CPR, it took 10 minutes for the paramedics to arrive
with a defibrillator. Sean lived, but he suffered
permanent neurological damage.
I was a junior that year, and although I hardly knew
Sean, I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.
I envisioned him lying comatose, not dead, but hardly
alive. I pictured his mother holding his hand, remembering
the last words he had said to her that day before
he left for school. I imagined his father, torn between
work and family, desperately encouraging the doctors
to do more...Complete
Article
School Administrator, Oct, 2003 by Mary Newman
It was March 12, 2003, and Pittsburgh's Penn Hills
High School was playing against Chartiers Valley High
School in the varsity basketball finals. Matt Strauss,
a 17-year-old junior, was there to cheer on his team.
The tension was high, with seconds left to play and
Penn Hills down by only a few points, when Matt heard
a loud thud behind him. About 10 rows back, 48-year-old
Martin Gannon had collapsed on the bleachers. Instinctively,
Matt grabbed the AED at his feet and rushed to help.
Two physicians who happened to be sitting nearby began
CPR, assisted by a parent who had been trained in
CPR and AED use. Matt hooked up the AED and instructed
the crowd to stand back, which was probably the biggest
challenge. "It was total chaos," he says...Complete
Article
WAFF.com Heart attacks can happen at any
time and very often they're fatal before the patient
gets help. That's why the City of Madison, AL has
defibrillators stationed across the city. They're
concerned people might not know the life-saving machines
are there.
The machine says, "Check responsiveness, call
for help." If ever someone has a heart attack
in a Madison building, a voice will be there to help,
if you know it's there.
David Glassman of the Madison Fire Department says,
"We want people to know how to use them, it would
be very sad if it was sitting there, someone went
into shock and no one knew how to use it."
For two years now Madison has had defibrillators
in most public buildings. Fortunately there's never
been a need but officials are worried most people
don't know about them. All of these are put in prominent
places where they're easy to access. To use, pull
them out and you're ready to go...Complete
Article
By Jonathan Ment, Daily Freeman
GLENFORD
- An automated external defibrillator, new and barely
two weeks out of the box, helped save a heart attack
victim's life Monday at Breathe Fitness, a local health
club.
John Jordan of Woodstock, who was treated at Kingston
Hospital following the incident early Monday afternoon,
said he had collapsed while on a fitness machine.
Club owner Anthony Covello got Jordan's heart going
with the defibrillator, which applies electric shocks,
before emergency crews arrived.
"In nine years we've never even had to use (cardiopulmonary
resuscitation) here," Covello said. "I don't
think that would have helped him. I think without
(the defibrillator) it wouldn't have been a happy
ending."
Jordan, speaking by telephone from the hospital's
emergency room, said the fitness machine he was using
apparently displayed an incorrect heart rate, and
he may have been "overdoing it" as a result.
"I appreciate the fact that they had the (defibrillator)
there and that they saved my life," he said.
Jordan said the machine he had been using, with a
cross-country skiing motion, was showing a heart rate
of 55 to 65 beats per minute, "and it's been
reading off since they got those two machines...Complete
Article
KENOSHA, Wis. - A 15-year-old boy who
collapsed while lifting weights at Bradford High School
and went into cardiac arrest was recovering Thursday
after a nearby defibrillator was used to revive him.
As soon as Jonathan Slupik collapsed at the school's field house Tuesday, coaches and trainer Joe Olszewski were rushing first to check his condition and then to get the defibrillator and put it to use.
"It could not have been more textbook - from us being right there, to Joe being so close to the defibrillator, to the paramedics getting here in about two minutes," said Steve Jacob, a Bradford dean and football coach.
Jacob, Olszewski and Paul Birkholz, a Bradford educational assistant and football coach, had never handled a heart attack incident before.
"You see kids get hurt a lot," Jacob said. "You see them pass out. You see them exhausted, but this I've never seen."
"He's 15 years old," Birkholz said. "That's the
last thing you would expect.".
...Complete Article
Tallahassee Democrat
Dec. 03, 2004 by Gerald Ensley
Bryce McRae
is only 15. But he made his pitch to the adult businessman
with confidence.
He was impassioned as he explained that 350,000 people
each year suffer from cardiac arrests, including his
grandfather and grandmother. He was informative as
he explained the chances of surviving a heart attack
go up dramatically when a portable defibrillator is
available.
And he never lost eye contact as he asked the businessman
for a donation to help buy two portable defibrillators
for local high schools.
"I want to make this world a little safer,"
McRae said. "We can do that if we follow the
Boy Scout motto: 'Be Prepared.'"
Certified public accountant Andy Gray was sold. He
promised McRae a check.
Some scouts build park benches and volleyball courts
to earn Eagle Scout status. McRae is raising $4,000
to buy medical equipment.
"I wanted (a project) that I felt good about,
and something I had to work hard at," McRae said.
"This all fits together."...Complete
Article
|
