Through the wonders of television, movies, and internet, there are very few out there who know what an AED is. For those who are unsure, these are commonly thought of as “the paddles” that the doctor puts to a dead person’s chest, yells, “CLEAR!” and shocks them back to life.
While this is a desirable outcome, most also realize that nobody lives forever, and the fact remains that television and movies “save” a lot more patients than happens in real life. That being said, a person who experiences Sudden Cardiac Arrest has a much better chance of surviving if there is an AED nearby, preferrably (but not necessarily) with people trained in how to use it, than if the closest AED is on the ambulance. Please read on…..
The Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) was introduced nearly three decades ago. It is designed to administer an electrical shock to a victim’s failing heart in an effort to restore a normal heart beat. Over the years, the AED has become remarkably effective at saving lives, its ease of use has increased substantially, and its purchase price has come down dramatically.
How successful are AED at saving lives?
On land, when an adult victim’s heart stops it is most frequently due to the naturally occurring deterioration of the health of the heart due to age or illness, and the heart developing a dangerous heart rhythm known as Ventricular Fibrillation. Nonetheless, on land, when a victim suffers cardiac arrest, the immediate application of an AED to the victim’s chest has proven successful in restarting the victim’s heart approximately 74% of the time.*
In water, when a victim drowns, an AED has proven to be even more effective than when used on land. The reason for its increased effectiveness is, in part, due to the facts that when a victim drowns the heart stops abruptly and the health of the victim’s heart is usually not an issue. Consequently, in drowning cases, where an AED is immediately applied to the chest of a drowned victim suffering cardiac arrest, the AED has proven to be up to 97% effective in restarting the victim’s heart.*
How do you use an AED?
Unfortunately, too many laypersons are intimidated by the AED because they view it as a complicated machine that could electrocute the untrained. Fear not, because the AED will never shock a healthy heart, and it is as easy to use as 1-2-3: (1.) Press the “on” button, (2.) plug the cord connecting the pads into the AED, and (3.) stick the pads to the victim’s bare chest. The AED will then provide you with voice prompts, instructing you whether the victim’s heart is stopped and if you need to press the “shock” button. That’s all there is to it. Don’t be afraid to act.
Is an AED expensive?
AED units used to cost over $5,000 each, but thanks to the improvements in electronics, software, and mass production, AED units now range in price from only $1,195 to about $2,000. At this price, saving lives becomes affordable.
Why don’t more businesses protect lives with AED?
If AED are so effective, easy to use, and affordable, why don’t more businesses employ AED? With cost as less of an issue than it used to be, businesses typically site two reasons why they don’t have an AED on hand and ready to save lives: (1.) lack of training, and (2.) liability. I have had several companies tell me that they are afraid of being perceived as “life saving experts”, and then sued if they fail. Remember, we all have fire extinguishers in our businesses, but that does not make us all firefighters.
It’s only a matter of time. How soon do you think it will be until one of these scenarios happens:
- Congress passes legislation requiring AEDs in buildings that are to be reasonably expected to house a certain number of individuals. The number I have heard is 100. This would put an AED in just about every hotel, restaurant and public building, and require the training of staff. Given the prices of other equipment that is placed in buildings (computes, televisions, espresso machines), many are viewing this as a negligible cost.
- Somebody is sued for wrongful death for NOT having this inexpensive piece of equipment that should have been in place to save a life. Picture a a golf course, where older players walk, swing, get frustrated, and are a long ways from help. Picture a mid sized hotel, which spends thousands each for flat screen TVs all over the place, and charges $300 per night, but doesn’t make a one time $1500 purchase that could save a life. Picture an office building that has 500 employees and the associated rents and revenues.
- A health club or other facility is found liable for not reasonably anticipating that a customer exerting themselves could go into cardiac arrest, especially those who may not be in the physical shape they used to be in. These companies that spends thousands on marketing promotions to get people in but nothing to save lives, might not look good to a jury.
Earlier, I created an analogy between an AED and a Fire Extinguisher. You keep both around for emergencies only, both require some maintenance from time to time, and both require occasional refresher training. I urge businesses out there to be less afraid of the unknown, less afraid of the lawyers, and to establish an AED program.
Once the public generally becomes less afraid of AEDs, and/or there are more mandates, you can expect prices of products to go up (supply and demand), as well as initial training, which may also be hard to find, until things stabilize. Thankfully, more and more companies are taking the steps to get a machine or two, and getting their people trained in how to use them. Are you going to be the next one? Let’s get AEDs everywhere that makes sense. The life that is saved first might be one that is important to you.
