Today automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) are found in every emergency room. In addition they are now carried by emergency squads. They are a valuable life-saving tool for medical personnel.
In 2004 HB 434 appropriated $2.5 million for AEDs in public schools for FY 2005-06. The money for this came from Tobacco Settlement funds. It allowed public, charter and community school districts to require AEDs. Also, in 2004 Ohio lawmakers required all fitness facilities to have an AED on the premises. The Ohio legislature deserves praise for not only making sure our schools have AEDs, and that they provided the funding to pay for them.
Why the sudden interest in AEDs in school and fitness settings? Because young athletes in the past have died, many due to freak accidents -- such as being hit in the chest by a baseball -- that could have been saved had an AED been available.
An AED is a portable electronic device that can diagnose potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias and ventricular tachycardia in a patient. An AED is able to treat and correct those conditions through defibrillation -- the application of electrical therapy which then stops the arrhythmia and allows the heart to reestablish an appropriate, effective rhythm.
AEDs come with simple audio and visual commands designed to make them simple to use for laymen, as well as medically trained individuals. The use of AEDs is taught in many first aid, first responder, and basic life support (BLS) level CPR classes.
AEDs are used to treat sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). SCA occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. The blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs ceases. Ninety-five percent of people who have SCA die from it -- most within minutes. Each minute of SCA leads to a 10 percent reduction in the chance of survival. Using an AED on a person who is having SCA may save the person's life.
What are the signs of sudden cardiac arrest? Someone having a SCA may suddenly collapse and pass out. Or, you may find the person unconscious and unable to respond when you call or shake him or her. Any collapse with loss of consciousness in a young athlete after a hit to the body should be immediately evaluated for an SCA.
A person having a SCA may not be breathing, or may have an unusual (abnormal) breathing pattern. You usually can't find a pulse. The person's skin may become discolored -- dark or blue -- from lack of oxygen. The person may not move, or his or her movements may look like a seizure (spasms).
Hook-up to an AED can check the person's heart rhythm and determine whether an electric shock is needed to try to restore a normal rhythm. Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are safe to use. There have been no reports of AEDs harming either bystanders or users. In addition there are no reports of AEDs delivering inappropriate shocks.
According to the American Heart Association, AEDs are appropriate for pediatric arrhythmias and are both safe and effective for defibrillation of children 1 to 8 years old. However, they are not appropriate for children under age 1.
Make sure you -- and your older children -- know how to use an AED. Make sure you know where the AED is in your school. You never know when you may be the person who can step up and save a life.
Bev Theil is a child advocate in Wayne and Holmes counties. She can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.org.