Defibrillators improve odds of surviving cardiac arrest

When a co-worker goes down from cardiac arrest, the hard truth is that the time spent waiting for the paramedics to arrive can be the difference between life and death.

But if a company has people on staff trained to operate a defibrillator ? a compact machine that delivers an electrical shock to the heart ? the natural rhythm of the heart can be restored in the nick of time.

Unlike a heart attack, when blood flow to the heart is blocked temporarily, the primary cause of sudden cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation. In this condition, the heart?s electrical impulses become chaotic and cause the heart to cease pumping blood effectively, and defibrillation can restore order.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, sudden cardiac arrest kills at least 400,000 people annually in the U.S.

If people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest are near a hospital or lucky enough to have someone close by who knows how to get their heart back on track, chances for survival are good. If getting the needed care takes longer than five minutes, however, the person?s chances decrease significantly.

To narrow the time gap and increase survival rates, automated external defibrillators, commonly called AEDs, have in recent years been showing up in places like airports, shopping malls, office buildings and schools. People are trained to use the machines through groups like the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association.

AEDs weigh five to 10 pounds and are equipped to instruct users through a step-by-step process with visual and/or voice prompts. The machine delivers a shock only if it detects that one is necessary.

After the machine is turned on it prompts the user to apply two electrodes to the victim?s chest. The unit will then begin to monitor the victim?s heart rhythm. If it detects an abnormality, the machine instructs the rescuer to stand clear of the victim and to press the “shock” button.
The FDA requires a physician prescription be written in order to purchase an AED. The requirement adds another safety feature by making sure a medically trained person oversees the development of an AED program, which involves training and AED unit purchases.

The Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross trained about 1,000 companies and 20,000 individuals to use AEDs last year, according to Jasmin Rice, senior program manager.
Companies that took advantage of the training include the YMCA, United Airlines, Qwest, Comcast and Frontier Airlines.

“This year there?s been a big increase in training for tennis and racket clubs,” Rice said. “There?ve been some cardiac arrests on courts, and if AEDs would have been available, the people could have been saved.”

The American Red Cross has agreements with AED manufacturers and facilitates the purchase of AED units. Cost ranges from $1,200 to $4,000, the lower range being for training units rather than units that can actually be used “live.”

The Boulder YMCA has two AED machines onsite and has trained about a dozen staff members to use them, according to Michelle DuVernay, health and fitness program director.

“Fortunately we?ve not had to use them, yet,” she said. “The aquatic director and I have gone through the Red Cross training and teach AED classes to community members and companies, too.”

AED training through the American Red Cross is combined with CPR training and adds an extra hour to the usual CPR class. AED training alone is $25, and CPR training alone is $30. Training that combines both is $40.

“Statistics show that AEDs increase the chance of survival from sudden cardiac arrest by 30 percent more than if just CPR is given,” Rice said. With just CPR, chances of survival are reduced to 10 percent.

Operators protected
People certified to operate a defibrillator are protected from lawsuits under the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act. The federal act extends what it calls good Samaritan protections to AED users and owners of devices in states that don?t have AED good Samaritan protections, although now, all states in the U.S. have passed some version of the good Samaritan law, and most provide protection for trained AED users.

In Colorado people certified to use defibrillators are protected from lawsuits, Rice said. “But if you don?t take a class and do it, there?s a good possibility you could be sued,” Rice said. “If you?re trained and acting within your knowledge, the Good Samaritan Law will protect you if you bring someone back and there?s brain damage or they didn?t want to come back. There are only three cases in the United States where a patient or family has won.”

Although the devices can be purchased online, Rice reminds people of the importance of having a doctor?s prescription as a safety backup. “Individuals can get them for their home if they have elderly persons living with them or if there?s a person with a heart problem living there,” Rice said.

One of the driving forces behind making AEDs accessible to the general public is time. When someone is struck with sudden cardiac arrest, there?s a window as small as five minutes before they will die. According to the Mayo Clinic, response time for defibrillation for survivors is 5.7 minutes and for those who didn?t survive, about 6.6 minutes.

According to American Red Cross research, it takes an average of six to 12 minutes for emergency medical assistance to arrive to the scene of a cardiac arrest victim. The best results for defibrillation occur within the first three minutes following a victim?s collapse ? making the case strong for AED accessibility and public training.

People saved from cardiac arrest and death by the use of AEDs, however, go on to live normal lives for many years, according to Mayo Clinic research.

The study tracked 200 people who had received emergency defibrillation. One hundred forty-two of them survived long enough to be admitted to an emergency room. Of those, 79 were eventually discharged from the hospital.

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