Many newspapers ran stories about the first annual National CPR/AED week. Congress set aside the first week in June to spotlight how lives can be saved if more Americans know CPR and how to use an AED (a defibrillator).
Now we have many stories of the tragedy of a high profile public figure struck down by cardiac arrest that may have been prevented through the availability and use of an AED. Details may be forthcoming, but the story so far is that Tim Russert did receive bystander CPR, but no defibrillation until the EMTs arrived some minutes after his collapse. This is all too common a situation and causes hundreds of deaths per day across the country.
Could Tim’s demise help us to save someone else? It’s all too easy, Call 9-1-1, and start CPR. Ask someone to get an AED, and then use it. They are simple and safe, even a child can do it.
My wife was one of the very few lucky ones. She suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, six weeks after we were married, and survived with no deficits whatsoever. She had no underlying heart disease, and was fit and healthy. Without the two saviors who witnessed her collapse, she would not be here today. They started CPR instantly, but there was no AED available. The EMTs had one and it took them nearly twenty minutes to shock her heart back into rhythm. She beat the odds. Tim didn’t. If AEDs were as ubiquitous as fire extinguishers or sprinkler systems we could be far more certain of a positive outcome.
Check your office, your gym, the next hotel you stay at, and also your home. Is there an AED available? Will you use it if someone collapses? You can easily be trained, in many places it is a free service offered by your local fire department.
Find out how and where. Start online, www.cpranytime.org is a good place to begin, but there are many more sites, such as www.sca-aware.org and www.redcross.org.
CPR & AEDs save lives - probably would have saved Tim Russert’s life.
We used our AED
My husband and I live in St. Croix, USVI. Two years ago, a friend died from SCA. His best friend and neighbor did CPR on him. 9-1-1 was called. The ambulance was unable to find his house. After 45 minutes, the fire station sent personnel. His friend was exhausted and barely able to continue CPR. It was then that he found out that the fire services personnel were unable to assist as they were not trained and had no equipment. Fifty-five minutes after the initial call, the ambulance crew showed up. It was too late to save my friend.
Following that tragedy, my husband and I purchased an AED for our own use. We took an AED/CPR/First Aid course in December, 2006. We kept the AED in our car since it was usually where we were located. News reports said that the firemen are being trained in CPR.
On February 29th, 2008, we had a call from a friend asking us to take our AED to the yacht club as a well known sailor was having a heart attack. When my husband got there - ten minutes after the onset - three people were doing CPR on the man who was still in the dingy they had used to transport him to land. He had no heartbeat and was not breathing on his own. My husband tossed the AED to the CPR heroes - staff and members of the yacht club. They said they didn't know how to use it. He told them to just turn it on and follow the instructions. After the analysis was done, shock was recommended. One shock restarted this man's heart and his breathing resumed. He is sailing again.
The following Monday, I phoned the fire station to determine why they had not appeared, they STILL were not trained and STILL had no equipment. New recruits were being trained but there was no recertification or training for firemen who had never been trained. They told me they had been trying for four years to get training and equipment. I am now collecting funds through the St. Croix Foundation AED Fund to equip our firemen with these lifesaving devices. I have had all of the St. Croix firemen trained in advanced AED/CPR.First Aid. They are now responding to medical calls. I am almost half-way to getting the funds I need to purchase 15 devices. Once this phase is completed, I will do the same for the schools, police stations and government offices.
Our lives will be forever changed.