Webinar Series Starting In March

SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST is the #1 killer in the US annually and an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is the difference between life and death for these victims.  Every minute that goes by without using an AED results in a 10% less chance of survival!

You simply can’t wait for EMS or First Responder community teams to arrive!  National average EMS response is 8-10 minutes in urban areas.

OSHA highly recommends these devices in the workplace and there are many industry-specific, federal, state and local mandates for AEDs due to the death toll of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA).  But, even if you are not mandated — you should consider purchasing one of these devices.  They take survival rates from SCA from 3-7% to over 65%! PLUS, if you can use a cell phone – YOU CAN USE AN AED!

So, are there any drawbacks to owning an AED?  Yes, if you do not maintain them or implement them according to your applicable AED acquirer laws in your city/county/state.  Think Safe knows these laws and is known for providing the legal protection and solutions our clients and dealers need.

Think Safe, in an effort to help our customers and dealers understand the legalities of defibrillator ownership, is sponsoring a webinar series on AED Programs: Avoiding Liability.

The webinar runs 3 times per day in March with speakers Paula Wickham or Greg Stebral, industry experts, providing key tips and resource materials for existing AED programs or those interested in selling AEDs or purchasing AEDs for their facility or workplace.

There is no fee.  There is no software to download. You just need an internet connection (no phone). All you have to do is go to:

http://www.thinksafewebinars.com/State-and-Local-AED-Acquirer-Laws.html

Once you fill out the form (we DO NOT SELL your information) you will be provided a screen that shows open webinars and you can click on and select any times / dates with open seats.

There are many dates/times to pick from this month- we know how hard it is to push a webinar into your busy schedule but…. you’ll find value from this webinar and we look forward to seeing you online.

Business AED Package

If you have any questions or want to schedule a specific time for this webinar please contact Paula Wickham at pwickham@think-safe.com or call our offices and ask for Paula or Greg, 319-377-5125.   Making Minutes Matter!

Didn’t change your AED’s batteries? That will be $3.2 million death settlement please.

A settlement of $3.2 million will be paid to the family of a 49-year-old man who died of a heart attack after a Chicago Fire engine’s defibrillator batteries hadn’t been replaced.

On January 22, 2005 Frederick Partyka, a city worker in the Chicago area collapsed while using his snow blower in front of his home. His son, a paramedic with the fire department – witnessing the incident – called 911 immediately and ran out to administer CPR while waiting for help to arrive.

At 3:16 pm the fire engine arrived, the paramedic on-board found Partyka in ventricular tachycardia – a life-threatening condition. But when the paramedic went to use the AED to shock Partyka’s heart back into rhythm, the defibrillator didn’t work. The batteries were old and wouldn’t hold a charge. At 3:22 pm an ambulance arrived with a working defibrillator. But those six minutes were far too late – Partyka was already dead.

“The industry standard required – and the manufacturer recommended – that this particular defibrillator battery had to be replaced every two years,” said Susan Schwartz, an attorney representing the Partyka family.

“But, on Jan. 22, 2005, no battery had been purchased by the city since October, 2000. They didn’t properly maintain the batteries for these defibrillators.”

During Monday’s Finance Committee meeting, First Deputy Corporation Counsel Karen Seimetz told aldermen that the defibrillators used on that day were replaced in March, 2005. The new version uses batteries “automatically changed out with the manufacturer every two years,” she said.

Stories like this can be prevented if your organization has current AED management software – a program that can track where your AEDs are, when their warranty is up, when they need maintenance, and when their batteries need replacing. Contact us today – 888.473.1777 or info[at]think-safe[dot]com – to ask about our new First Voice +AED Program Manager.

Source

Proven Effective! AEDs in Schools Save Lives

The following is from AEDs in School Prove Effective at MedPage Today by Todd Neale on the importance and effectiveness of having AEDs at every school.

In a survey of high schools that had an AED program and had had a cardiac arrest within the preceding six months, 64% of cases — students and nonstudents alike — survived to hospital discharge, according to Jonathan Drezner, MD, of the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues.

Most of the schools (83.5%) had an emergency action plan in place for responding to sudden cardiac arrest, the researchers reported online in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

More than 92% of individuals suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest do not survive to hospital discharge, and survival declines 7% to 10% for each minute defibrillation is delayed, according to Dr. Drezner and colleagues.

One study found that survival after exercise-related cardiac arrest in particular was only 11%.

Responding to the low survival rate, many schools have implemented AED programs and emergency response plans for sudden cardiac arrest.

However, it had remained unclear how effective early defibrillation was for treating cardiac arrest among student-athletes and others in schools.

To explore the issue, Dr. Drezner and colleagues identified 1,710 U.S. high schools that had at least one AED using the National Registry for AED Use in Sports.

According to a survey completed by school representatives, 83.5% of the schools had an established emergency action plan for sudden cardiac arrest; 60% of those with a plan developed it in collaboration with local EMS.

However, only 40% practiced and reviewed the plans at least once a year, and only 18% posted a written emergency plan at each athletic venue.

Of the respondents, 2.1% of the schools had had a sudden cardiac arrest occur on premises within the preceding six months.

Almost all (97%) were witnessed, 94% received CPR from a bystander, and 83% received an AED shock.

The average time from arrest to first shock was 3.6 minutes for students (mean age 16) and 1.8 minutes for nonstudents, including teachers, coaches, visitors, and other adults (mean age 57).

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of cases survived to hospital discharge, including nine of 14 student-athletes and 14 of 22 nonstudents.

“Although some deficiencies in emergency response planning were identified, a high survival rate for both student athletes and older nonstudents with sudden cardiac arrest was reported in high schools with on-site AED programs,” the researchers said.

“The need for ongoing CPR training, fully developed and executed emergency plans, and links to EMS are vital to the immediate and long-term outcomes of shock delivery,” Dianne Atkins, MD, of the University of Iowa in Iowa City said.

“The tragic death of an adolescent has a profound effect on the community, and the desire to protect this population may outweigh financial considerations,” she said.

Dr. Drezner and colleagues acknowledged some limitations of the study, including the low response rate (11%), the inclusion of schools that already had AED programs, the use of self-reported data, and the possibility that some cases of sudden cardiac arrest may have been missed.

For information on Think Safe’s AED solutions contact our AED Expert James Moroney.

Transportation Liabilities: Sudden Cardiac Arrest without an AED Onsite

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is one of the leading causes of death in this country. According to the American Heart Association, SCA claims the lives of over 250,000 people each year – more than all forms of cancer combined.

There is a 4-minute window to defibrillate a person back to life. With paramedics often unable to get to the scene in that time, lives are lost.”A million things can occur to delay 911 responses, such as traffic and remote locations that make it impossible for a paramedic to get to a victim on time,” says Dave Magruder, a former firefighter and paramedic who now trains people on using AEDs. “And for every minute a person experiences SCA without defibrillation, his or her survival rate drops by 7 to 10 percent.”

If a customer suffers Sudden Cardiac Arrest, are you at risk for not having a defibrillator on hand? The answer to this question is of course a topic of some interest to all in the transportation industry today. The consensus among many experts today, is that increasingly your company is in jeopardy after this type of situation. Because of the litigious nature of our society a perception exists, in the mind of the public, that transportation industry providers should be prepared for such eventualities. The Massachusetts Transit Authority $3.9Million lawsuit settlement is a perfect example of the liability you face. The industry clearly is setting a standard of practice to provide AEDs to their customers.

The $3.9 million settlement in case is alleging that MBTA commuter train personnel failed to stop the train to seek emergency medical attention for a passenger suffering cardiac arrest, despite repeated requests and warnings by the other passengers that the man was not breathing and required immediate medical attention. Instead, the train personnel continued to make the scheduled stops and allowed nearly 20 minutes to pass before eventually arriving at the final destination. Tragically, emergency medical attention was provided too late and the passenger died shortly thereafter. “Family settles with ‘T,’ Amtrak for $3.9 million

Is it worth risking a life to not be fully prepared by not having an AED or because you are worried about AED liability? Of course it isn’t.

For information on Think Safe’s AED solutions contact our AED Expert James Moroney.