Posted on 06/20/2011

WEST PARIS, Maine — Wayne Millen worried for years that he'd die of a sudden heart attack. Genetically, his odds weren't good. His father died of a heart attack at age 66. His mother underwent heart bypass surgery when she was 66. His younger brother, after surviving two heart attacks in two years, died at age 53 of sudden cardiac arrest.

"My brother, Gary, and I were very athletic growing up and we never thought we'd have any problems," said Millen, 60. "I realized, 'There but for the grace of God ... ' you know? That could happen to me." So Millen regularly went to the doctor. He submitted to all recommended medical tests and took medication that lowered his cholesterol to ideal levels. He worked to stay fit. And last year he bought an automated external defibrillator (AED).

An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses a sudden, life-threatening heart problem and shocks the heart back into rhythm. Although they're increasingly common in businesses, schools and public areas, few people have them in their homes. When Millen bought his for just under $700, he thought he might be wasting his money — the device would be useless if he went into cardiac arrest while home alone or when he wasn't home, or he might be fine and not go into cardiac arrest at all — but he looked at the AED as a little extra insurance.

Last Sunday, that insurance paid off. Millen's 27-year-old son, who had just arrived for a weeklong family visit, used the AED to save his father's life.

"It's extraordinary," said Alan Langburd, the cardiologist who treated Millen when he arrived at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. "And it's (almost) Father's Day."

Most people who have heart attacks first notice one of several symptoms, including pain or heaviness in their chests. Millen was one of the five to 10 percent who went straight into cardiac arrest. "His presenting symptom was sudden death," said Langburd, the cardiologist. If Millen's son hadn't used the AED, Langburd said, "(Millen) probably would have died. And if he had survived, he probably would have had pretty significant neurologic impairment. Often, they just don't wake up. Or if they do wake up, they're mentally challenged." Millen had none of those problems.

SOURCE: Lindsay Tice, Lewiston Sun Journal

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