Posted on 01/05/2012

BRANTFORD, ONTARIO--After a couple of recent incidents, the city and Brant County are providing more information about how the public-access automated external defibrillator (AED) program works. Under the program, in place since 2007, hundreds of AEDs have been placed in facilities across both municipalities so they can be used in cases where someone collapses from a cardiac arrest. The units, mounted on walls in visible locations, are set up for use by any member of the public while waiting for emergency responders to arrive.

Recently, one was used at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre and another at the South Dumfries Community Centre in St. George. "In the St. George incident, two of the people nearby started CPR and the arena attendant, who is a firefighter, arrived with the AED," Brant Fire Chief Paul Boissoneault said Tuesday. "The unit was (used) within a minute, which is optimal timing."

AEDs are computerized units that are designed to diagnose and, if need be, deliver an electric shock to an unconscious person with an abnormal heart rhythm. The shock can reset a normal heart rhythm and drastically improves survival rates for those who've collapsed due to cardiac arrest.

"You don't need clinical training to use an AED," Brant County EMS duty manager Russell King explained. "It won't shock a beating heart; it will only deliver a shock to a heart with a shockable rhythm. You don't even have to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation if you're uncomfortable with that; you can do only compressions."

The units in public places across the city and county will tell you what to do--from checking if the person is unresponsive to calling 911 and applying the defibrillator pads to the person's bare chest. They also include picture and text prompts as guides.

"The prompts are designed for complete ease of use in the most difficult circumstances," Boissoneault said. "They go step-by-step, so you can't really make mistakes."

The public-access AEDs have their origins in the Brantford area, King explained. Chase McEachern was a child lobbying to have more of the units in schools and arenas in 2007 when he died from cardiac arrest. As a legacy, the Wayne Gretzky Foundation donated the first $99,000 that was used to buy AEDs in this region. The Ontario government followed with the Chase McEachern Act and $3 million in grants to install more of the devices across the province in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

There are some misconceptions on what happens after AEDs are used. The units must be connected to a computer to download and print the data they store when they're used. The information helps with training.

In both recent cases, there were other AED units in each facility that could be used in case of emergencies. Paramedics have now been instructed to leave the units in the facility with a new set of pads until a replacement can be brought in.

"We just unplug the pads and transfer them to the AED in the ambulance," said King, explaining that all Brant County ambulances have the same model of AED, as do all the fire department rescue vehicles across the city and county.

Brantford health, wellness and safety manager Jill Thompson said a few more units are coming--donations have been received to add another two AEDs to the Gretzky centre and applications will be submitted for two rounds of provincial funding for more units in 2012.

SOURCE: Hugo Rodriquez, BrantfordExpositer.ca

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