Many news stories about the death of Carrie Fisher on an airplane flight from London to Los Angeles. As so many times the media used the term "heart attack" to describe her incident. As those in the world of resuscitation know this was not a heart attack but a cardiac arrest episode. It is crucial to get people (especially the media) aware that these two cardiac emergencies bear no relation to one another.

A Heart Attack is a "plumbing" problem with the heart resulting in a portion of the heart incurring damage which is permanent. Unlike other muscles in the human body the heart does not regenerate tissue. The heart attack victim, by definition, is breathing.

Since my last post, my family member has successfully taken his AED on a commercial flight. He was not allowed to bring the device in to the cabin, but had to bring the lithium ion battery in his carry on. Therefore he needed to run back to the airline desk and have his luggage pulled out and get the AED into his checked luggage. This held him up quite a bit at TSA, so plan ahead and arrive early. I believe that these rules are administered differently at different airports, as I was even advised when researching in advance that "it would depend on the TSA officer on duty." Hopefully someone will be able to get clear advice on this, but for now I would advise: check the device and carry the battery.