Defibrillators like fire extinguishers?

Or at least they should be as universal. Lately, there has been focus on public access defibrillation (PAD) to help save lives with innovative solutions that increase survival from cardiac emergencies. A device that can be used with little training to save lives of people stricken with Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Automatic External Defibrillators (AED’s) are easy-to-use, affordable, effective devices.

Every AED that’s made easily accessible to the public improves the chances of saving lives. During SCA the chance of survival is decreased by 10% for every minute. Each year 350,000 people die in the United States from SCA. The most common form of SCA is Ventricular Fibrillation, a rapid, chaotic, lethal heart rhythm. In this rhythm the heart is unable to pump blood with oxygen to the brain, heart and other vitals organs. Four minutes after the brain is deprived of oxygen it starts to die. Brain death sets in. It is not reversible. Survival is not probable.

Currently, the out-of-hospital survival rate of these victims is only 5 percent and as low as 2 percent in places that have long ambulance response times. It only takes a few hours to learn CPR and PAD. I think it’s time well spent. Well, at least it’s SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.