It is estimated that one American dies from sudden heart attack or cardiac arrest every two minutes. A person who experiences a cardiac arrest is often not breathing and is unresponsive. They can die within a few minutes or suffer from irreversible brain damage if their blood circulation is not restored quickly. However, many lives may be saved by using a “chain of survival” intervention, which includes recognition of the signs of a heart attack, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation. Defibrillation involves the use of a portable, battery-operated lifesaving device called automated external defibrillator (AED). This device allows trained non-medical personnel to save a person’s life by reversing a life-threatening …show more content…
This results in the failure to circulate oxygen in the blood to the vital organs such as the brain and the heart. Although CPR may help revive a patient, studies show that appropriate and timely application of an AED increases their chances of survival. Because of this, laws have been passed, requiring public places such as schools, airports, gymnasiums, and other busy areas to have an accessible AED.
History of AEDs
Claude Beck, MD was a heart surgeon who developed CPR and successfully defibrillated a young boy who went into cardiac arrest after surgery in 1947. The device he used was made by James Rand, his friend. The AED device had two silver paddles that looked like spoons that was used only in open-chests.
In 1956, Paul Zoll invented the first AED unit that can be used in a closed-chest. In 1966, Irish physicians used the AED in an ambulance setting. It was in 1969 when the device was first used by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) from Oregon without a doctor’s presence.
How AEDs