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Heart Ready to make rescue ordinary

An AHA program trains people in the use of defibrillators, which can save lives if quickly used on those in cardiac arrest.

By BETH N. GRAY
Published September 7, 2005

The odds of surviving cardiac arrest in Hernando County are about to get better.

The American Heart Association is launching its 8-month-old nationwide Heart Ready program here. The plan is to get automated external defibrillators into the hands of regular folks and train them how to operate the lifesaving equipment.

It's not hard to operate the defibrillators,said Julia Stack, the American Heart Association volunteer heading up the outreach effort in Hernando.

Stack is also the sales representative for Phillips Medical Systems NA Corp., which sells defibrillators, priced at more than $1,000. The American Heart Association endorses no one company's equipment.

Defibrillation has saved many lives since the process was introduced outside hospitals in 1993. Since then, the equipment has been touted as necessary for schools, churches, civic organizations, business offices, even individuals.

Defibrillation is considered the third link in the four-step chain of survival: early access (calling 911), early CPR, early defibrillation and early advanced care.

Chances of saving a cardiac patient are greatest when defibrillation is performed within 3 to 5 minutes of heart stoppage, Stack said. While emergency crews have the units in their vehicles, by the time EMS technicians arrive, it may be too late, she said.

"You find your child at the bottom of your pool. What do you do? The defibrillator," said Stack, referring to the sort of emergency that calls for the lifesaving equipment.

The first step in the Heart Ready program is promoting awareness. Nearly 400,000 people a year suffer cardiac arrest. About 95 percent of them die.

Stack wants to carry the message of defibrillation to civic, professional and religious organizations, businesses and others. The procedure offers a 70 to 80 percent chance of survival, she said.

"I go in and talk to them about CPR and the use of a defibrillator."

If Stack adds CPR and basic life support classes plus defibrillator use instruction, participants each pay $25. The site sponsor - such as a restaurant, business, fitness center, golf club or church - must commit to buying a unit, according to the American Heart Association.

"It takes an afternoon, four hours, to learn a vital skill that may save somebody's life," Stack said.

The site sponsor must designate a program coordinator, register with the local 911 service as a defibrillator owner and provide the unit's exact location. Thus, if an emergency call comes in from an untrained person, 911 can direct the caller promptly to get help.

Operating the unit, is simple, Stack said.

Users are sometimes afraid they'll shock somebody. But she said they won't.

"When the machine is analyzing, it looks at the rhythm of the heart," she said. "It is figuring out in a few seconds whether it is a rhythm it can shock. It doesn't shock a normal beating heart. It will only shock a heart with an unorganized sync.

"It talks to you. It's automated. It talks you through the whole process. It takes the guesswork out of the emergency."

Hernando County government and some others have a leg up on the Heart Ready program.

At the county government administration building, defibrillators have been in place for three to four years in the board meeting room and on various floors, said county risk manager Flora Boles. Sheriff's deputies have been trained in their use.

Wellington at Seven Hills recently purchased a unit and received instruction from Spring Hill Fire Rescue personnel.

"We will do training if it's a brand we use," said Chief J.J. Morrison. "We encourage all organizations to buy (defibrillators)."

And individuals can also benefit, said Stack.

Adult children have purchased the units for their parents, she said. Also, a mother with a child who plays sports totes a defibrillator to the playing field, Stack said.

"We're going to get some more information out there," Stack said. "It might save somebody's life."

Beth Gray may be contacted at graybethn@earthlink.net

Hernando Heart Ready coordinator Julie Stack, 684-5664.

North Suncoast unit, American Heart Association, 688-1154.

Tampa Bay Area, American Heart Association, 1-800-275-0448.

[Last modified September 7, 2005, 01:01:15]