PITTSBURGH, PA--The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation and Enerspect Medical Solutions have joined forces to lead the AED Readiness Project, a national initiative to improve access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in locations that might otherwise lack opportunities to acquire the lifesaving devices.
During February, Heart Month, individuals and organizations may purchase a certified pre-owned AED for $450 or a new AED for $995 and receive a free Family & Friends CPR Anytime kit. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the nonprofit Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation.
AEDs are used to treat victims of sudden cardiac arrest, a life-threatening condition in which the heart suddenly stops beating, usually without warning. SCA strikes about 1,000 people each day in the U.S. and about 10 percent of victims survive.
Sudden cardiac arrest is different from a heart attack. A person who suffers a heart attack is conscious and breathing. A person who suffers cardiac arrest is unconscious and is not breathing normally. Sudden cardiac arrest turns fatal within minutes unless someone helps immediately by giving CPR and using a defibrillator to restore a normal heartbeat. In fact, survival rates increase from 10 to 40 percent or more when bystanders use defibrillators to help cardiac arrest victims before emergency medical services arrive at the scene.
AEDs are safe and effective user-friendly devices designed for use by laypersons with little or no training. They provide visual and voice prompts and will never deliver a therapeutic shock to restart the heart unless one is needed.
Yet AEDs are sometimes cost-prohibitive for organizations such as schools, sports teams, places of worship, and small businesses. And since 80 percent of sudden cardiac arrests occur in the home, the AED Readiness Project provides an ideal solution for individuals who would like to be better prepared to help family members, visitors, and neighbors in case of an emergency.
“Immediate use of AEDs saves lives," said Mary Newman, SCA Foundation president. "We believe the AED Readiness Project will enable proactive individuals and organizations become better prepared to respond to sudden cardiac arrest. This initiative will not only strengthen our nonprofit's mission to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest and help save lives, but will also provide a solution for those who have struggled with the challenge of raising sufficient funds to acquire AEDs.”
David Shelton, Enerspect president and CEO agrees. “The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation has a long history of creating community awareness about sudden cardiac arrest and the preparations needed to save lives. We all recognize that more lives will be saved through greater proliferation of AEDs.”
For more information about the AED Readiness Project, click here. This offer is good in the U.S. only, while supplies last.