Have you noticed an AED device
in an airport or other public
place? An AED is an automated
external defibrillator.
You can use this portable
device to quickly shock someone’s
heart and try to save their
life if they collapse, have no
pulse, and stop breathing. This
condition is known as sudden
cardiac arrest.
If a cardiac arrest isn’t treated
within minutes, the person
will usually die. When the
heart stops beating, blood and
oxygen can’t get to the brain.
The brain can’t function long
without oxygen.
A recent study of people
who had cardiac arrest found
that bystanders can help save
lives if they use an AED while
waiting for emergency medical
services. Each year, experts estimate,
more than 18,000 Americans
have a shockable cardiac
arrest that occurs in public
with witnesses.
If you think someone is
having a cardiac arrest, call 911.
While you wait for emergency
medical services to arrive, you
can do CPR (cardiopulmonary
resuscitation) and use the AED
device.
After you apply two electrode
patches to the person’s
chest, the AED will check the
heart rhythm. If a shock to
the heart is needed, the AED
will deliver the shock. The
shock can restore a normal
rhythm.
“We estimate that about
1,700 lives are saved in the
United States per year by
bystanders using an AED,”
says Dr. Myron Weisfeldt of
Johns Hopkins University.
“Unfortunately, not enough
Americans know to look for
AEDs in public locations, nor
are they trained on how to
use them.”
For those who want to learn
CPR and how to use an AED,
training is easy. You can contact
groups like the American
Heart Association or the American
Red Cross to sign up.
BYSTANDERS CAN SAVE LIVES
DURING CARDIAC ARREST
Healthy Living | Spring Issue | 2018 27
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