Defibrillators in schools can save lives — only if managed properly
11 September 2005
Approximately 7000 children, including adolescents, die from sudden
cardiac arrest each year in the USA. Moreover, it is estimated that up to
one out of every 200,000 high school athletes die from sudden cardiac arrest
each year. Sudden cardiac arrest strikes people of all ages and fitness
levels, usually without warning. Automated external defibrillators (AEDs)
help schools to be prepared in the event of a cardiac emergency and
potentially save the life of a student, employee, or visitor.
Medical experts believe many children could be saved if an automated
external defibrillator (AED) is used within minutes of a collapse. However,
there is currently no national system in place in the USA to ensure AEDs are
present and in working order in schools. Several bills have been introduced
into both the United States Senate and House of Representatives supporting
teaching CPR in school and implementing AED programs. Currently
approximately 11 states have legislation regarding AEDs in schools. (To
learn more about current USA AED in schools legislation visit
www.AEDHQ.com/school_legislation.html)
Current estimates indicate that only 20% of all public and private
schools in the USA have automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Richard
Wright, of www.AEDHeadquarters.com (an American medical equipment seller),
recently visited three local schools to investigate first-hand this AED
dilemma.
"I was shocked at what I found," Wright said. "At a high school, I asked
the receptionist if the school had defibrillators. She indicated she thought
so but wasn't sure. I then visited an elementary school and found an AED
behind a door hanging on a coat hook. There was also a small sign above the
AED; unfortunately you couldn't see it with the door open. My last stop was
at a middle school where I met with the principal. When I asked if there was
an AED in the school, he answered positively. When I asked where it was
located, he wasn't sure. He thought it was locked up in the athletic
department. When I said that it should be placed in an AED alarmed cabinet
so everyone would know where it was, he said that he was concerned that one
of the students might steal it."
This is just the tip of the iceberg with regard to AEDs in schools. A
number of schools only have one AED which is not enough. Many simply don't
understand that you have less than ten minutes to respond to sudden cardiac
arrest, and to keep the odds in your favour the goal is to begin
defibrillation in three to five minutes. The overall simplicity of many AEDs
offered today is not well known. Several AED models are intended to be easy
to learn and use for even the most uneducated responders.
"We can save lives by properly installing AEDs in our schools," Wright
said. "We need to educate school administration, parents, and the kids
themselves."
Today there are many schools that have an AED; unfortunately most
personnel are clueless as to the implementation process.
More information:
To learn more about current USA AED in schools legislation visit
www.AEDHQ.com/school_legislation.html
Visit
www.AEDHQ.com/AEDsinSchools.html and learn the "10 key essentials for
proper AED implementation within the schools."
The schools page of HeartSine:
www.heartsine.com/schools/
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