Death from cardiac arrest
can be averted with AED
By Tara Meissner, Herald Times Reporter
April 10th, 2005
TWO 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.
In Two Rivers, the Fire Department responded to 60
cardiac arrest calls since Aug. 4, 2001. All patients
who recovered enough to walk out of the hospital received
immediate CPR, defibrillation and Advanced Cardiac
Life Support, according to Assistant Fire Chief Gary
Shavlik.
Unfortunately it was only on two calls where the
Police Department used Automated External Defibrillators
(AEDs) prior to advanced life support arrival. The
normal 911 call is dispatched to the ambulance and
the police officers are dispatched at the same time.
If the officer is in his beat he will arrive before
the ambulance and all squads are equipped with AEDs.
The American Heart Association offers the following
guidelines, called the chain of survival, for a successful
recovery from cardiac arrest:
— Link 1 — Phone 911 to activate the
emergency medical services system
— Link 2 — Begin CPR
(the next two links will be provided by rescuers
with additional training)
— Link 3 — Early defibrillation by trained
rescuers or EMS personnel
— Link 4 — Advanced care by EMS and hospital
personnel
The Fire Department serves as training center for
people to learn how to use the AEDs. Average cost
of the life-saving devices is about $1,500 each, Shavlik
said.
He, and certified AED trainer Barb Wondrash, encourage
all businesses to make the investment. They are user-friendly
with voice prompts for the next steps.
Many adult victims of sudden cardiac arrest have
ventricular fibrillation, an abnormal chaotic heart
rhythm that prevents the heart from pumping blood
and defibrillation, a shock that stops V-fib and allows
a normal heart rhythm to resume, is the only treatment,
according to the American Heart Association.
Each minute that goes by without defibrillation decreases
survival chance by 7 to 10 percent. After 10-12 minutes
there is little chance for a successful rescue unless
CPR has been provided, according to the association. |
