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 More people
die each year from sudden death than from cancer, stroke, or
auto accidents (350,000 people in the USA alone died from sudden
death in 2003). Sudden death refers to the electrical failure
of the heart to beat, thus causing the victim to drop without
warning, and it can happen to children, teenagers and adults.
Hence, age is not a factor, nor is a person's health a factor
since sudden death can affect the highly-conditioned athlete
as well as the couch potato. Administering CPR certainly helps,
but providing defibrillation will increase the change of survival
several-fold. This is true even when calling 911, since it could
take several minutes for an ambulance to arrive on the scene
where defibrillation is warranted. Places that should have a
defibrillator on hand include sports arenas, schools, and fitness
facilities. In these instances there needs to be at least one
person with First Aid and CPR training, and having a defibrillator
improves the site's emergency risk management plan.
The industry leader for defribillators
is ZOLL, a company known world-wide for its reliability and quality
of medical equipment. One of their models is the ZOLL AED Plus,
an automated external defibrillator that uses voice prompts and
visual indicators to guide the rescuer through a resuscitation
sequence that may include defibrillation and/or CPR. It incorporates
the ZOLL Rectilinear Biphasic defibrillation waveform. Following
attachment of the electrodes to a patient's chest, the defibrillator
monitors the electrocardiographic (ECG) rhythm of the patient's
heart, analyzes that rhythm, and determines whether the rhythm
is shockable or non-shockable. When needed, defibrillation energy
is also delivered through these same electrodes. When the unit
detects a shockable rhythm, it charges and issues the warning
DON'T TOUCH PATIENT, PRESS TREATMENT BUTTON. The rescuer
presses the Treatment/Shock Button to deliver the shock. If the
patient remains in VF or shockable VT, additional shocks can
be administered after subsequent analyses of the patient's heart
rhythm. The rescuer may be prompted to perform CPR if the initial
or subsequent defibrillation attempts are successful.
The version of the AED Plus at the I.A.R.T.'s
facility includes a PASS (Passive Airway Support System) to support
the patient's neck and shoulders in a position that assists in
maintaining an open airway. The unit is powered by ten commercially
available consumer brand lithium-manganese batteries, and the
unit can do the following:
- Perform periodic self tests to ensure
its continual readiness.
- Use one piece electrode assembly that
facilitates proper electrode placement and that is easy to apply
to the patient.
- Analyze heart rhythm and inform the rescuer
if the rhythm is shockable or non-shockable.
- Deliver defibrillation treatment to victims
of cardiac arrest who exhibit shockable ECG rhythm.
- Provide voice prompts and graphics to
guide the rescuer regarding what to do and when to do it during
a cardiac emergency, such as calling for help or giving CPR to
the patient.
- Provide audible beeps to encourage rescuers
to provide CPR compressions at 100 compressions per minute (via
the CPR-D padz).
- Monitor the depth of chest compressions
during CPR and provide voice prompts, if compression depth is
inadequate (via the CPR-D padz).
- Upload data from the defibrillator to
a PC to store events or print event reports.
Download the PDF report
on sudden death and AEDs. Visit Zoll.
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