Another Life Saved, Another AED Donated

Newtown, PA – January 6, 2014 –As a result of a recommendation by a responder who saved a man’s life using CPR and an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), the Flamingo Cocktail Bar in Redlands, as well as other nearby businesses, will have access to a HeartSine AED.  The donation is part of HeartSine’s Forward Hearts program that enables a saved person or his/her responder to donate an AED to the organization of their choice.

The AED being donated by Anytime Fitness’s Noel Basilides to bar owner Michael Plunkett.

Noel Basilides, an assistant manager at Anytime Fitness in Riverside, was able to use his recent CPR training to save the life of a 75-year old man with a heart condition.  The man, who wishes only to be known as Thomas, had just finished his daily four-mile run on the treadmill when Noel noticed that he didn’t look well.  Before Basilides could react, Thomas suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and fell on to the moving treadmill before being tossed to the cement floor.

Says Basilides, “When Thomas collapsed on the treadmill, he hit his head and passed out.  I thought he was unconscious due to his head injury, but realized it was more serious when he didn’t wake up and then stopped breathing.”

Fortunately for the stricken man, Basilides had just attended a mandatory CPR class the previous week, and knew to call for help, perform CPR and use the AED.

“I have to admit that I was really scared to press that shock button, but was very glad I did.  After the shock, we followed the AED prompts to perform more chest compressions and thankfully Thomas started breathing.”

The paramedics arrived a full nine minutes after the call was placed.  Thomas’ doctors told Basilides that he survived due to the quick response to use the AED.  After a short stay in the hospital, Thomas has made a full recovery.

Adds Basilides, “After being able to save a life because the gym had the AED, I can’t talk enough about the importance of having these devices in all businesses.  Frankly I can’t understand why AEDs are not required by law.“

Due to his lifesaving efforts, Basilides was asked by Thomas to choose the recipient of the new HeartSine AED.  He chose the Flamingo Cocktail Bar, a popular local family-run bar in Redlands where he also works as a security guard.

Owner of the business, Michael Plunkett is pleased about the donation.  “After hearing from Noel about his experience with an AED, we are grateful that he selected our business to receive the donated AED.  We intend to provide our staff with CPR training, and will make other businesses near us aware of the AED should they ever need to use it.”

Noel Basilides with the AED that saved a man’s life.

HeartSine joins Think Safe, the distributor who sold the AED to Anytime Fitness, to make the Forward Hearts AED donation on behalf of Thomas and Noel.  Think Safe President, Paula Wickham adds, “This is the way things should work.  The Pay It Forward Program allows recognition of a life saving event and enables others to share their story and life saving victory over the disease that is the nation’s leading killer.  Another life may be saved in the future, outside the gym, due to Anytime Fitness doing the right thing for their club members. Our congratulations go out to HeartSine and Anytime Fitness for another valuable life saved!”

For more information on The Pay It Forward Program or how to get an AED grant or AED donation, fill out the form below. 

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October is National Sudden Cardiac Awareness Month

While the month of October may be ending, the nation’s leading silent killer will remain standing. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) kills 1,000 people PER DAY in the United States alone. That is approximately 1 life every minute.

When an organization reviews their Emergency Response Plan (ERP) they should consider addressing life-threatening emergencies that are likely to occur at their facility.SCA should be a topic that is covered during review of the organization ERP if the local EMS or first responder teams can not get to the VICTIM (from time of their collapse, not from time of the 9-1-1 call) in well under 4-6 minutes. With national averages for EMS response being 8-10 minutes in urban areas and higher than that in rural areas; it is highly likely that almost any organization should consider the implementation of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) program to offset the risk of death occurring from any SCA event at their facility.

Here are some key facts on why any workplace or organization where people pass through, congregate, and work should consider AEDs.

1) Many victims of SCA did not know they were at risk, and could not recognize warning signs, if any had been present. In fact, two-thirds of SCA deaths occur without any prior indications of heart disease. Anyone can experience sudden cardiac arrest, including healthy infants, high school athletes, and healthy athletes or people in their 30s and 40s who have no sign of heart disease. There are certain populations that have been shown to be at higher risk but SCA is a silent and deadly killer that is non-discriminatory in that it will take the life of any age, any rage or any gender of person. This fact is vital because the victim can not be equipped to properly save their life if they do not know they have a heart condition.

2) CPR alone is not enough. Ninety-five percent of victims of SCA die because they do not receive medical attention in time. Currently, defibrillation delivered within the first 6 minutes of an SCA accounts for the 5 percent survival statistics. Survival can be as high as 90 percent if treatment is initiated within the first 4–6 minutes after SCA. The rate decreases by about 10 percent each minute longer. Those who receive a life-saving shock from an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) have a good long-term outlook.

3) There are Good Samaritan Laws to protect users of AEDs and organizations like Think Safe can provide you a turnkey AED Acquirer/Owner package that puts the right AED program in place at your facility to protect you from any liability risks. With the purchase of any equipment at your facility, the costs and risks of keeping it maintained have to be considered. That should not be any different with the purchase of an AED. However, easy to use cloud based SAAS self-maintenance low-cost tracking solutions such as www.firstvoicemanager.com exist to ensure that someone at your facility does the AED check regularly and has a readily available servicing log with the click of a mouse.

While good quality CPR is important to saving the life of anyone who is unresponsive, for SCA events it is important and essential to have an AED. Think Safe has AED complete packages available for close to $1,000 that include an AED Administrator Toolkit, training, servicing and any tool needed for your AED implementation and management.

For more information on Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and how to be better prepared contact Think Safe at 888-473-1777 or or complete the form below. Ask to see our First Voice Manager webinar or our AED Acquirer webinar — guaranteed to be comprehensive and educational regarding proper AED program implementation and easy long term care!

 

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4th Annual National AED/CPR Awareness Week

June 2011 marks the fourth (4th) National AED/CPR Awareness Week. Being prepared for emergencies including Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is important as it is the nation’s largest killer. SCA kills more people annually than AIDS, breast cancer and strokes.

Over 300,000 people die annually from SCA and an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is the best life insurance policy anyone can buy, increasing survival rates from 10% to over 60% — IF an AED is used within the first 2-4 minutes after a victim suffers from SCA and collapses.

To learn more about special promotions going on during June at Think Safe and with Think Safe dealers please contact us at: 888-473-1777 and mention Ad Code Blog0102.

The key to being prepared is… being prepared! Preparedness does not cost thousands, the price is very affordable! Call us for more details today at 888-473-1777, or complete the form below and we will be happy to get in touch with you!

PS – Are you a school or nonprofit in need of funding options? http://www.firstvoice.us/Funding/tabid/485/Default.aspx (visit our funding web link today to get prepared for tomorrow)

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One Mom’s Story….

In May Think Safe received the following letter requesting assistance from a mom….. This is being reprinted with the permission of this mother in an effort to help others understand that Sudden Cardiac Arrest does affect children in the U.S. as well as adults.

Hello my name is Corinne Ruiz.

Olivia Ruiz’ Last School Picture

April 22, 2004, my 14 year old daughter Olivia died from sudden cardiac arrest.  Olivia was on life support for ten days. After ten days, we were told that Olivia had no brain activity. We were left with a very painful decision to remove our daughter from the breathing machine.

April 22nd, it was six years since the death of my daughter. Not a day goes by that I don’t ask myself, “If only I had known about Long QT Syndrome/Sudden Cardiac Arrest and AEDs”. Maybe, just maybe Olivia would be alive today.

I and many other families who have lost children to Sudden Cardiac Arrest are now their voice. We are dedicated to protecting our youth from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and preventable Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD). Unfortunately, where I live, xxx, very little is known about SCA in our youth.  I was quite surprised to find out that Olivia’s High School, xxx, didn’t have an AED on campus.

It’s time to make a difference, speak out, with the hope of saving others.  I plan on promoting SCA awareness in my community.  I have written letters to our community leaders to see if they have implemented community Public Access Defibrillation programs. I have contacted my local state representative, senators regarding the Josh Miller Hearts Act, which would provide a pool of grant money for school districts to use to purchase AED’s. If this passes, it would make mandating AED’s in [state xx] easier because it would offset a large portion of the start-up costs. I have written letters to our senators on behalf of the American Hearth Association supporting SB 1281.

I am a mom who is now left with:

• If only I had known that I had options..
• If only I had been told that there are screening tests or preventative treatments..
• If only I had known that my daughter looked normal but her heart wasn’t..
• If only I had known that an AED could give my daughter another chance..
• …then maybe I wouldn’t have lost my Olivia..

I hope after reading my story, you will find it in your heart to donate an AED to XX High School, in memory of my daughter, Olivia. I am not a politician nor am I an expert in the medical field, I am Olivia’s mom.  A mom who will not let her daughter’s death be in vain.

Thanking you in advance for your support.

Since that date, Corrine has been crucial in placing an AED at this school and is crucial in helping to place others in the surrounding area. Think Safe is proud to be of assistance in making this happen as well. We can provide funding solutions!

Each year 10,000 to 15,000 or more children die from Sudden Cardiac Arrest, just like Olivia – due to a fatal accident or undiagnosed medical condition.

For educational materials on SCA, grant or fund raising assistance or special school packages please contact the technical experts at Think Safe, 888-473-1777 or complete the form below.  Let’s make schools an even safer place for our children!

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Why do we need AEDs at work or in public areas?

Why are AEDs being mandated and required or “expected” as a standard of care in many places?

We are talking about the nation’s leading killer; killing more people than strokes, AIDS and breast cancer in the US annually.  Each year, more than 300,000 Americans experience sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) outside of a hospital. SCA affects people of all ages and with many types of heart problems, but occurs most commonly in adults with coronary artery disease, and so it will only become more common as America ages.

On average in the U.S., just 6.4% of SCA victims survive. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation with an automated external defibrillator (AED) take chances of survival to over 65%. In fact, early defibrillation (within 2-4 minutes ideally) with CPR is the only way to restore the SCA victim’s heart rhythm to normal. For every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation, the chances of survival decrease by around 10%. However, there are not enough AEDs and persons trained in using AEDs and performing CPR to provide this life-saving treatment, resulting in lost opportunities to save more lives. Tragically, 64% of Americans have never even seen an AED. AED PROGRAMS CAN AND DO IMPROVE SURVIVAL RATES.   Communities with comprehensive AED programs that include training of anticipated rescuers in both CPR and AED use have achieved survival rates of 65 percent or higher. Making AEDs more available to lay responders trained in their use saves lives; remember that these are proven to be easy to use and fail-proof FDA approved public use devices.

Why should I be a champion for AEDs?   Can’t we just call 911?
The national average for EMS response in the US is 8-10 minutes.  It is recommended (for best chances of survival) AEDs be used early on and ideally within 2-4 minutes.  There is a very good chance emergency medical services (EMS) cannot respond fast enough to save someone in cardiac arrest, particularly in congested urban areas, high-rise buildings, in remote rural areas, or large facilities. Besides traffic, consider the time needed to make it through building security or in a crowded shopping mall with multiple escalators and all the way to a victim, for example.

“What constitutes gross negligence isn’t spelled out in the law. Per product liability attorneys specializing in AED case law, organizations that have heavy traffic are more at risk if they fail to comply with “standards to provide care” and don’t have an AED at all.  Any facility manager, HR manager or a safety, EHS director at any large or high traffic facility should consider ramifications of not having at least one on premises in the event of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA).  It is most likely their own job they are putting on the line and they should argue hard for them.  As a value-add for those directors whom can’t get top down management on board and funding is an obstacle, they should get hard copy evidence on file from their management if they can not get approval for purchase.  The old “CYA” policy!

If you would like to see examples of current AED case law and how settlements and lawsuits have fallen, please contact our AED LAW experts at info@think-safe.com or 888-473-1777.

Products to consider sold by Think Safe to help your organization with AED funding and placement assistance:  AED grants or AED brands and models available.  Contact our AED GRANT DEPARMENT at grants@think-safe.com for more information and best pricing or match funding on the market for your AED funding solutions.