Saved by a Defibrillator

What is a defibrillator?

Most of us have seen a television show or two where someone, completely untrained, slaps a few sticky pads on a lifeless body, powers up a machine and shocks that person right back to life. What you have witnessed isn’t a trick of the television, it is an actual machine called an Automated External Defibrillator or AED for short. This small piece of equipment is designed to allow laymen to provide lifesaving treatment to those suffering from various types of heart arrhythmia and heart attacks. It is slowly becoming commonplace in many businesses, schools and parks across the country. Still, many of us have never even seen one, let alone had the misfortune to need one.

This was pretty much the state of affairs at my high school last year. I attend a small, private school that is known for its inexpensive tuition rates. As a result, the administration is always struggling to provide the students with everything we need to get a first rate education. The ‘extras’ are often forgotten. Our gym teacher, who also doubles as the schools health adviser, had always included a week long CPR course for every gym class. Last year, she approached the school board about updating some of our equipment and requested funds for an AED. A long battle ensued, with many parents arguing that the money would be better spent on repaving the parking lot or purchasing new uniforms for the basketball team, after all, how many teenagers had heart attacks at school?

AED training can save lives

“I have a life because my coach used an AED”

The coach finally won and the unit was delivered in time for the start of the school year. There is sat, collecting dust, in her office, until the day it saved my life.

I had a heart attack during gym class, the very thing that all those parents said would never happen did. I died on the floor of my school gym and while several students ran to the office for help and two others rushed for their cell phones, my gym teacher raced to her office, grabbed the defibrillator and hooked me up. The machine did exactly what it is designed to do; it analyzed my condition, delivered the appropriate electrical current to me and got my heart beating again. The paramedics that arrived five minutes later told my parents that it had saved my life. We later discovered I suffered from a congenital heart defect.

Defibrillators in Schools

My point is this, while the likelihood of having to use an AED in a high school is slim, there are cases like mine where one simple machine can be the difference between life and death. If you are ever put in a position to offer an opinion about whether an Automated External Defibrillator should be purchased for your school, church or park, please remember my story. It can save a life! I will be forever grateful to the administration of my school for taking the time to understand how important a defibrillator is and for spending the money to purchase one.

Chicago Residents are now debating whether the availablity of a defibrillator on the Chicago Metra Train might have saved a man that died from cardiac arrest on October 9th, 2009.

Two nurses rushed to assist Metra crew members who tried to help the 63-year-old Barrington Hills man with heart attack symptoms. They attempted CPR. Emergency responders who met the train at the Palatine station also tried to save the man, but died.

The tragic story quickly raised questions among some regular passengers and medical authorities, who questioned why the Metra trains, unlike passenger airplanes, don’t have defibrillators on board. It also came to light that neither the CTA buses and trains have them available.

Defibrillators are becoming more common on mass transit systems, not just in the United States but all over the world. Why a major transportation system like the Metra has thus far failed to provide AED remains a mystery.

What do you think?

The LifeVest is mainly worn by those of very high-risk of having cardiac arrest!

The LifeVest is worn outside of the body rather than having to be implanted in the chest. Reasons could be for the risk of surgery or patient preference.

The Zoll LifeVest consist of two main pieces to the defibrillator:

An electrode belt and garment that surrounds the patient’s chest and A monitor the patient puts around their waist or wears as a shoulder strap.

For more information see: Zoll LifeVest.

Defibrillators save lives, there is no arguing that fact! They can be used to resuscitate victims of cardiac arrest successfully and it is estimated that they could save tens of thousands of American Lives each year if they were readily available. But what happens when they are available but not easily accessible?

Researchers found 83% of the US high schools surveyed with AED programs (1710) had some sort of plan in place for emergency response for sudden cardiac arrest, but only 40% actually practiced and review their plans at least once a year. Last year there were 36 cases of cardiac arrest at the same 1710 high schools. Studies found that over those 36 cases, 83% received an AED shock. Schools actually fare better than other defibrillator installations.

There is a growing need for CPR training and Smart AED Deployment in urban environments. Finding the best possible locations for defibrillator placement is just as important as having defibrillators deployed.

As a result of seeing how successful an AED can be in saving a cardiac arrest victim, businesses and schools around the world are installing defibrillators in public places. Dan Ruthemeyer’s story is just one example of just how important readily accessible Automatic External Defibrillators can be.