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Last updated:
July 11, 2024
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Did you know that currently more than 5 million Americans are living with congestive heart failure? And did you also know that out of the above mentioned 5 million patients only 3.5 million are in their 60s? Sadly, this number won’t decline anytime soon, as approximately 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, while more than 287,000 people don’t survive a heart attack. And most of the time, a heart failure strikes its victims while they are out in town participating in a sport activity, walking on the street or eating in a restaurant. The best course of action to prevent such tragedies from happening is to equip facilities (including your own home) with an automated external defibrillator, also known as AED.
True, purchasing an AED is a pricey investment, but no one can deny it can be an invaluable lifesaver when a critical situation emerges. In case you are running a sports center or you are a restaurant owner, then it’s more than recommended to purchase one for your staff and guests. It’s important to know that most mobile defibrillators can be used legally, and they fall under the “good faith” use of the Samaritan Law, meaning that you cannot be held liable for the harm or death of a victim if you tried to give instant medical assistance.
However, the best way to avoid mistreatment is to get a practice defibrillator for your employees or ensure they undergo basic AED training. No matter what kind of facility you run, having a mobile defibrillator displayed gives your customers the message that you care about their well-being.
AED devices are also recommended for seniors suffering from more frequent, albeit smaller heart attacks: a skilled caregiver might be able to stabilize the patient’s condition while waiting for the paramedics to arrive.
Defibrillators are commonly seen as tools used for “shocking back” a patient from the brink of death. However, you cannot jump start the heart of a person with an AED. The main purpose of this portable electronic device is to correct specific kinds of heart rhythm problems, mainly caused by a cardiac arrest. When someone has a heart attack, it disrupts the heart to pump blood to other parts of the body in an effective manner. If the condition lasts for too long, a chaotic heartbeat can cause the brain to fail from the lack of blood support, and, ultimately, the victim dies.
It’s not hard to draw the conclusion that the faster you restore a person’s heartbeat, the better his/her chances for survival are – and this is where defibrillators come into the picture. Thanks to the latest advancements in medical technology, AED units are able to analyze the patient’s condition, and autonomously set the right amount of jolt needed. They also feature spoken prompts, instructing the responder to apply the two pads to the bare chest of the patient, and then performs the shock automatically. This means that operating an AED doesn’t require exact training, and any responsible bystander or staff member can perform the lifesaving procedure – after warning emergency services, of course.
Since there are actual lives on stake, you should really consider which AED device is worthy of your investment. So let us present you two noteworthy contestants.
Placing your defibrillator can be trickier than you think. On one hand, you definitely wish to expose it to the public and make it easily approachable, so anyone can grab it in case of emergency. Furthermore, seeing a defibrillator on (public) display definitely has a soothing effect on visitors/customers. On the other hand, though, be sure to set up some safety measures to protect your device, since criminals might want to steal it due to its high monetary value.
If you already decided to invest into the well-being of your visitors/customers, consider purchasing a surface-mounted AED cabinet. It’s designed to house any model of AED currently available, while the strong metal doors prevent any wrongdoers from walking away with your lifesaver. The special cabinet isn’t necessary for homeowners, however; just make sure to pack it somewhere safe and airtight where you, the caregiver, or any other family member can easily reach it.
In the event of a heart failure, every second matters, but the ambulance may arrive a couple of minutes later no matter how early you call them to the scene. Furthermore, dispatching the paramedics requires someone to articulately explain the situation and provide the location of the patient, which is impossible if the victim lives alone or there is no one around to assist. This is why a medical alert button can serve as a second line of defense: pressing it is simple enough, even in a crisis, and the highly trained operators are well aware of the wearer’s condition, since they have the patient’s medical history on file. Thus they can quickly contact the family members or the emergency services even if no response is given, saving precious time while someone arrives and performs that lifesaving shock.
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This would help my peace of mind.