AEDs Save Lives of Student Athletes

Pittsburgh, PA, January 18, 2007 --(PR.com)-- After a sudden increase of deaths among student athletes in Texas, Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are now mandated at all public high schools in the state, beginning in the 2007-08 school year.

Public access AEDs are used to treat sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a condition caused by abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias. Victims of SCA collapse and quickly lose consciousness, often without warning. Unless a normal hearth rhythm is restored, death will follow within a matter of minutes.

“The state of Texas is setting a great example for the rest of the country. Public access AEDs should be available at every high school and athletic facility,” said Vince Mosesso, Jr., MD, FACEP, associate professor of emergency medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, medical director prehospital care, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, medical director, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association. “With a complete AED system available for less than $1,000, there is no excuse for the lack of this life-saving equipment.”

Priced at $1,195, the Samaritan PAD is affordable and also offers discounts for athletic directors. Simple for the layperson to use, with the push of a button a voice prompts the rescuer throughout the entire process. There is no need to worry about delivering an unnecessary shock; the system will not activate unless an abnormal heart rhythm is detected. If an abnormality is identified the machine will charge itself and instruct the rescuer to stand clear of the victim and to press the shock button.

“According to statistics, within ten minutes of unconsciousness, a victim will likely die. The average EMS vehicle can take up to 12 minutes to respond. The answer is obvious—AEDs need to be more readily available to local communities,” said Jason Heffran, Managing Partner & CEO of NewHouse Medical, a one-stop provider that helps organize AED programs in public places.

Texas is following the lead of other proactive states like New York, Maryland and Delaware, where AEDs must be on site at schools and school-sponsored activities. What does this mandate mean for high school students in Texas? It can be the difference between life and death.

Many victims have no history of heart disease, or if heart disease is present, it has not functionally impaired them. This is why it can strike anyone of any age at any time. While figures are not available for the number of adolescent deaths caused by SCA, it strikes more than 250,000 Americans each year: nearly one death every two minutes (according to the American Heart Association).

Up to 50,000 of those deaths could be prevented using the Cardiac Chain of Survival (AHA):

• Step one: Early access to care (calling 911 or other emergency number)
• Step two: Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• Step three: Early defibrillation (AED)
• Step four: Early advanced cardiac life support

“In addition to having AEDs available on site, an emergency response plan should be established and key individuals at each facility also should be trained in the complete Cardiac Chain of Survival,” explained Mosesso. “Using all of these available resources greatly increases the rate of survival.”

NewHouse Medical is the leading provider of the Samaritan AED, developed by Heartsine. The company is committed to the fight for better preparedness by athletic trainers, school nurses and officials. Through NewHouse Medical’s AED Deployment Program, they hope to remove the obstacles many institutions face in the acquisition of AEDs. For additional information about how to use or purchase a public access AED, please visit www.newhousemedical.com.

For additional information about sudden cardiac arrest, please visit www.suddencardiacarrest.org.

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