AEDs set to save lives at the press of a button
The Lady Minto Hospital Foundation, acting in conjunction with island physicians and Salt Spring Fire-Rescue, wants to put islanders at the vanguard of saving the lives of cardiac arrest victims.
“Our goal here tonight is to convince you that it’s a good idea to have more (automated external defibrillators) on Salt Spring Island than we have now,” said Derek Fry, one of the foundation's members at large, during an AED workshop held Jan. 25.
Fry provided the opening address to a group of about 20 community leaders, business owners and concerned citizens assembled to learn about AEDs from the perspective of medical professionals, emergency service providers and industry experts.
Dr. Shane Barclay, chief of staff at Lady Minto Hospital, has been trying to raise awareness about the need for more AEDs on the island for years as mounting evidence published in research journals has confirmed the devices’ benefits.
The lightweight laptop-sized units are designed to deliver an electrical jolt to a subject immediately after the onset of sudden cardiac arrest.
Ventricular defibrillation, the most dangerous forms of cardiac arrest, throws off the heart’s natural pumping rhythm.
“Instead of your heart pumping it just quivers like a bag of worms,” he said.
More often than not, the result has been death.
“Once the heart stops or goes into fibrillation, from our point of view, you’re dealing with a dead person and the only way you’re going to bring them back to life is by getting electricity on them quickly.”
By “descrambling the defibrillation,” the electrical charge supplied by an AED offers the subject valuable time as more qualified medical help travels to the scene.
Barclay said subjects face a 90 per cent survival rate if treated with an AED within a minute of sudden cardiac arrest. Chances of survival drop precipitously to a 70 per cent survival rate for treatment within four minutes and a mere two per cent survival rate for patients who aren’t treated for 10 minutes.
“In other words, you want to get a defibrillator on you really quickly,” he said.
What makes the units so attractive, he added, is that almost anyone can operate them.
The devices, being sold by MediQuest Technologies, offer step-by-step voice instructions on how to treat a potential cardiac arrest victim. Clear diagrams and a simple interface allow users to have the machine set up within seconds. The units should be mounted on a wall in a highly visible and easily accessible location.
It didn’t take much more to persuade Gary Utter, the owner of Salt Spring’s two Pharmasave stores, to buy seven of the units displayed at last week’s workshop. Thanks to a provincially sponsored program, units are offered for approximately $1,300 each.
“I just think that if we saved one life, my investment would pale in comparison,” Utter said. “If we can be a leader in the country and the province in terms of placing them I think it’s a positive thing.”
At least one unit will be placed at easily accessible locations at each Pharmasave location. Utter said he intends to consult fire chief Tom Bremner to determine ideal spots for the five other units.
Bremner, who was among the speakers at Wednesday’s meeting, said the local fire-rescue service will provide yearly inspections of the devices and offer a basic four-hour first-aid course for one employee of any organization or company that buys an AED. Anyone who’d like to receive more information about the device can call the Ganges fire hall during regular business hours.
Although a few AEDs are now available on the island — at the Rainbow Road Pool and Salt Spring Golf and Country Club, for example — Bremner wants to see as many AEDs as possible placed throughout community halls, schools, churches, businesses and private homes during the next several years.
“The more we can have across the whole island, the better off we will be,” he said.
“This is life changing in so many ways. It’s really about where you believe this sits in the realm of your business or your lifestyle or the safety of people that may be around you or your facility.”
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