AED’s Save Lives

Would you know the difference between a heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest? Would you know to call the ambulance and administer an automated external defibrillator (AED) in both cases?

A recent story of an AED saving a life comes from Akron, Ohio. A 70 year old woman sat down in the aisle of the Giant Eagle on Waterloo Road because she felt dizzy, and then went unconscious. Most people would have thought she had a heart attack, but she actually had a sudden cardiac arrest. Fortunately, an officer was there and knew what to do. He quickly called for an AED, which the store happened to have and saved the woman’s life.

Although they may look the same, the differences between a heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest are quite large. In a heart attack, the blood flow to the heart is obstructed, usually by a blood clot. Heart attack is sometimes the cause of cardiac arrest. In cardiac arrest the pump function ceases and the heart begins beating rapidly, until it stops. Cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in the United States. It is estimated that 90 percent of cardiac arrest cases end in death, killing more than 320,000 each year in the U.S.

In case of heart attack or cardiac arrest it is suggested that you call an ambulance, administer CPR and/or an automated external defibrillator (AED). Though the emergency care is the same, the follow-up care is quite different. When a cardiac arrest patient is treated within a minute or two, the survival rate is enormous, nearly 98 percent. If there is no treatment for around nine minutes, the patient usually dies.

What is an AED? An automated external defibrillator is a device used to analyze the patient’s heartbeat and administer a shock to restore normal heart rhythm in case of cardiac arrest. It is a portable, automatic microprocessor with electrodes and electrical circuitry that is applies a shock through adhesive electrode pads placed outside the body. The shock stuns the heart and allows it to resume normal activity.

Cardiac arrest can be fatal without the device. Many businesses have on on-site, such as office buildings, hotels, country clubs and airports. If you see someone having heart issues, find out if there is one available right away.

If medications do not help those with heart issues, sometimes a defibrillator will be surgically implanted near the heart to deliver an immediate shock if it starts beating to wildly. An AED should not be used if the patient has a pulse.




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