Wednesday, February 14, 2001
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Wednesday, February 14, 2001 |
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Using these AEDs, anyone can save a life By SALLIE SATTERTHWAITE
When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, says Chris Campbell, a firefighter and paramedic with Peachtree City Fire Department, the victim's survival depends on the earliest possible return to a normal heart rhythm. And early defibrillation gives the greatest benefit in saving lives, Campbell said. Persons trained in CPR can make a difference, and his department's three- to five-minute response time of extensively trained personnel is about as good as it gets, but "the quicker that defibrillation is delivered, the better [a patient's] chances for surviving. These things do save lives." "These things" are automatic external defibrillators, devices so easy to use and becoming so affordable that they can be placed wherever people gather. The American Heart Association, which is sponsoring the community AED campaign Campbell heads, likens the five-pound machines to fire extinguishers, now found in virtually every public place and in most homes and vehicles. "The big thing we need to stress," Campbell said, "is that anyone can use them." In one test, sixth-graders were pitted against medical professionals, and the kids performed flawlessly and only seconds slower. "It's so simple to use," Campbell said. "It has an on-off button and a shock button, and it's been proven to be 100 percent foolproof." Because the device can sense whether the heart is in a dysrhythmia that will respond to electric shock, it can override a mistaken application. "There's no documented case of anyone being shocked that shouldn't have been." "The second biggest fear people have," Campbell continued, "is that someone using it could be sued." A federal act signed into law a year or two ago, he said, gives the protection of "Good Samaritan" laws to those attempting to save lives. The same law eventually will require all public buildings to have AEDs available. Campbell said he didn't want to wait. "I wanted to start now. It's something I'm interested in. My family lives here. Peachtree City is known for wanting to be the best and safest community around. "Seattle, Wash., had that title for a long time, and it's our turn."
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