Wednesday, December 31, 2003
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Wednesday, December 31, 2003 |
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All Fayette high schools outfitted with heart units By J. FRANK LYNCH Thanks to Fayette Community Hospital, all of Fayette County’s high schools are now equipped with an automated external defibrillator, or AED, the compact life-saving device that can mean the difference between life and death to a victim of cardiac arrest. In a ceremony on Dec. 11, hospital officials along with Superintendent John DeCotis presented AEDs to the principals of McIntosh, Sandy Creek, Starr’s Mill and Whitewater high schools. Fayette County High already had one of the compact devices, which can cost several thousand dollars, paid for by a booster organization last year. The LaFayette Educational Center wasn’t forgotten, either. At the Dec. 15 school board meeting, Thomas Stephens, representing the Fayette County Kiwanis Club, presented an AED to the Alternative High/Fayette County Evening High School campus, paid for by the service club. “We deeply appreciate this, thank you,” DeCotis told a crowed gathered for the hospital’s presentation, pointing out that the county’s high school campuses serve more than just teenage students. “Our high schools are always open,” DeCotis said. “Churches use them, the community uses them. We hope that we never have a need to use this, but it is good to know that they are available should a situation arise where someone requires defibrillation.” Dr. Anthony Lawson of the FCH Medical Executive Committee said his staff made it a goal to see one of the portable AEDs placed on each high school campus. “Knowing how to respond in an emergency is vital, and the AEDs will provide an early response until EMS personnel arrive,” Lawson said. That’s vital, said Allen McCullough, deputy chief of Fayette County Fire and Rescue, because with each passing minute a cardiac patient goes without a heart beat, the chance of survival declines another 10 percent. “A portable AED is much like a fire extinguisher,” said McCullough. “Say you have a house fire and you attack it with a fire extinguisher. You probably aren’t going to put the fire out with that, but you may have kept it from spreading and getting worse.” An AED is used to administer an electric shock through the chest wall to the heart. The device has built-in computers that assess the victim’s heart rhythm, judges whether defibrillation is needed and then administers the shock. Audible and visual prompts guide the user through the process. The bright industrial-yellow AED units will hang on a wall near the front office of each of the schools, accessible to the general public no matter the time of day or event taking place. Most AEDs are designed to be used by non-medical people such as police, firefighters, flight attendants, and others who have been properly trained. But because the computer does most of the work, any adult should be able to use the device, as well as some students. “AEDs may be used to treat previously undiagnosed cardiac conditions that can cause heart arrhythmia’s during the stress of competitive athletics,” said Lawson. “Fayette County high schools are often used for community-wide events as well as school based activities. These AEDs are being placed to benefit the entire community.” The Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services is leading the partnership to standardize a county-wide AED program and has made the commitment to support the training of key personnel in the schools to use the equipment. Currently Fayette County is implementing the placement of AEDs throughout county buildings and facilities. In 1985 the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services was the first in Georgia to implement the use of AEDs in their response vehicles. Fayette County law enforcement officers began to carry automatic external defibrillators in their cars after the County was one of 10 communities nationwide to receive grants for the devices. In 2000, Peachtree City purchased three automated external defibrillators to be placed in its government buildings. It was the first metro Atlanta municipal government to deploy defibrillators.
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