Source: Defibtech
WASHINGTON--For the fourth straight year, Defibtech and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) have teamed up to donate and distribute Lifeline™ automated external defibrillators to 12 organizations with critical needs.
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Source: Defibtech
WASHINGTON--For the fourth straight year, Defibtech and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) have teamed up to donate and distribute Lifeline™ automated external defibrillators to 12 organizations with critical needs.
"Each year, we donate AEDs to be placed in public areas where they are needed most," said Defibtech CEO Dr. Glenn W. Laub, who announced the effort at the start of National Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Awareness Week. Having an AED in a public place such as a school, church or community center strengthens the "chain of survival" by speeding the response to a sudden cardiac arrest victim, who must be revived with a defibrillator within five minutes for the best chance of survival. Each minute longer decreases the chance of survival by 10 percent. After 10 minutes without defibrillation, few victims of sudden cardiac arrest, or SCA, survive.
SCAA President Lisa Levine, CAE, said local SCAA chapters and affiliates nominated not-for-profit organizations for the donations according to financial need and community access. "Sudden cardiac arrest continues to strike at alarming numbers; yet our chapters across the country are making extraordinary strides in expanding awareness of SCA. This AED donation effort is a vital element to our spectrum of SCA awareness, which also includes education on heart healthy lifestyles, medical therapies and treatments, and post-SCA recovery and rehabilitation," Levine said. "Defibtech's continued support of this effort has touched thousands of lives, and its patient-centered approach demonstrates why the company is an industry leader that our chapters look forward to working with year after year."
Congress designated the first week in June each year as National CPR and AED Awareness Week to encourage CPR training and the placement of AEDs in public places. "As Americans become more aware of sudden cardiac arrest and AEDs, more of them will be ready and willing to make a lifesaving response in an emergency," Dr. Laub said.
While AEDs are becoming more commonplace in public areas, recent studies show that many individuals are still reluctant to use them. For example, nearly 75 percent of the respondents to a Defibtech and Harris Interactive survey had concerns about their ability to properly and immediately provide AED treatment. While most AEDs have audio capabilities that provide instructions to emergency responders, these capabilities alone have not provided the solution needed to increase bystander intervention.
Defibtech wanted to know what kind of AED design features would make potential lifesavers more confident and asked the question: in addition to audio instruction, what would give you greater confidence to use an AED? The answer was video - 45 percent of the survey respondents said an AED providing animated video instruction of how to revive a sudden cardiac arrest victim increased their confidence.
In turn, Defibtech created the Lifeline View™, the only external defibrillator that integrates video, voice, pictures and text to help save the life of a sudden cardiac arrest victim in real time. The View guides a rescuer through each step of CPR and defibrillation, showing and telling a rescuer exactly what to do to save a life. For example, when the View's voice prompt says, "Place pads on patient's chest," the video shows the rescuer exactly where to place the pads.
About Defibtech
Defibtech designs and manufactures defibrillators, which include the Lifeline™ and ReviveR™ families of AEDs. Defibtech's products are sold through its network of distribution partners in the United States and around the world. Defibtech is headquartered in Guilford, Conn.
About the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association
The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) is an organization focused on sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). SCAA identifies and unites survivors, those at-risk of SCA, and others touched by SCA who are interested in being educators in their communities and beyond. The membership is dedicated to promoting solutions to prevent sudden cardiac death, including increased awareness, immediate bystander action, public access to defibrillation (PAD), and access to preventive therapies.
