Boca Raton, FL –Atrus, Inc., owners of the National AED Registry™, announced that it has provided a customized version of its automated external defibrillator (AED) registry to the Minnesota Resuscitation Consortium (MRC).
The Minnesota Resuscitation Consortium, led by the University of Minnesota Cardiovascular Division, is dedicated to improving bystander response in sudden cardiac arrest events. Consortium Program Manager Kim Harkins commented “We see the Registry as part of the Consortium’s program in Minnesota to educate and inform citizens about sudden cardiac arrest, CPR, and the importance of public access to AEDs. The AED Registry will serve the community by ensuring that AEDs in public settings are ready to use and are accessible.” As more AEDs are registered, the Consortium hopes to use Registry information to identify gaps in AED placement and training in communities throughout Minnesota.
An important aspect of the Registry is that it is free to AED owners and will assist in their maintenance plan for the devices. The Registry will generate regular email reminders to users to periodically check the device to ensure it is in working order. Registered users will also receive reminders to replace electrode pads and batteries that are nearing expiration date. AED owners in Minnesota can register their devices at minnesota.nationalaedregistry.com.
The Consortium is lead by Medical Director, Demetris Yannopoulos, M.D., and aims to connect bystander, pre-hospital, and hospital initiatives to provide a consolidated platform of protocols and technologies to more rapidly advance the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest.
The Consortium is part of the HeartRescue Project. Initiated in 2010 by the Medtronic Foundation, the HeartRescue Project assembles the country’s leading emergency and resuscitation experts to expand successful city and county SCA response programs to statewide levels. A primary objective of the program is to develop an integrated community response to SCA, ensuring everyone is prepared to respond by calling 911, starting chest compressions immediately and using an AED.
In making the announcement, Atrus President and CEO Elliot Fisch said, “We are pleased to partner with the Minnesota Resuscitation Consortium to help them provide a systematic registration platform for AEDs that can help assure they are properly maintained and working when needed. We also recognize that, in communities where the Registry is paired with our AED Link System, we can support HeartRescue’s objective to develop an integrated community response to SCA.”
Atrus’ AED Link system can make registered AED information available to 911 dispatchers so they may guide a caller to the nearest AED in the event of a cardiac emergency. “Currently publicly available AEDs are rarely used in an emergency because people can’t see them and 911 dispatchers are unaware they are nearby,” Mr. Fisch remarked. “We look forward to working with 911 agencies in Minnesota to close this missing link in the chain of survival.”
Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States, killing more than 300,000 people annually. Compact and portable, AEDs are designed to be used by laypeople with little or no training, delivering a shock that can save a victim’s life before paramedics arrive.
SOURCE: Atrus/Minnesota Resuscitation Consortium Press Release