Today’s defibrillators are ‘smart,’ easy to use
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, October 16, 2003
Is sudden cardiac arrest a heart attack?
No. A heart attack is when the arteries supplying blood to the heart are blocked. Sudden cardiac arrest is a seizing of the heart’s electrical pump rhythm that causes it to stop beating, flutter chaotically and not pump blood. Though CPR will buy the victim some time, the only treatment for sudden cardiac arrest is defibrillation.
What exactly does a defibrillator do?
A defibrillator sends a shock to the heart muscle, stopping the seizure, and usually returns it to a normal pumping motion. The electrical charge acts as a reset button for the electrical current the body uses to remind the heart to pump blood regularly. Defibrillators manufactured nowadays are "smart," and will analyze heart rhythms and decide whether a shock is needed.
Why have defibrillators in schools?
About 7,000 young people die each year from sudden cardiac arrest. The death rate would be much lower, experts say, if defibrillators were available in the first moments of collapse.
Can a defibrillator accidentally shock someone?
No. Though some parents and school officials are worried that readily available defibrillators will invite mischief, before a defibrillator will deliver a shock the device measures a victim’s heart rate to make sure a shock is needed. Only then will it charge and deliver its electric shock.
Can screening prevent instances of sudden cardiac arrest?
About 20 medical conditions can cause sudden cardiac arrest in young people. Some can be caught in medical screening. Intensive cardiac screenings can cost about $1,700. To do such intensive pre-participation testing on all of the nation’s 6 million high school athletes would rack up a yearly health care bill of $10 billion or more.
Just as important as screening is being prepared with CPR and defibrillation training and awareness. A victim’s chance of survival drops up to 10 percent for every minute their heart is in arrest.
Sources: Dr. Paul Herndon, co-director of the Children’s Hospital Heart Center, Alidene Doherty, critical care nurse and cardiac arrest researcher, The National Center for Early Defibrillation
