The Houston Chronicle
Copyright 2006 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company
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Earlier this month, when longtime Harris County prosecutor Diana Lynn “Di” Glaeser collapsed in her car after calling her office complaining of chest pains, two colleagues rushed to her aid with a county-owned defibrillator. Access to the device probably saved or prolonged her life.
According to the American Heart Association, it is critical that a defibrillator be employed within the first few minutes after a victim goes into sudden cardiac arrest. The condition slows or stops the flow of oxygen to the heart, the organ’s contractions go out of sync and heart muscle begins to die.
That’s why Harris County’s defibrillator program, spearheaded by Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, is so important. Garcia lobbied her fellow Commissioners Court members for funding to install automated external defibrillators - as the devices are properly called - in most county buildings and to train employees to use them. The more easily accessible the devices, the faster a victim’s heart can be shocked back into rhythm and the better the odds of survival.
Last September, commissioners approved the purchase of 113 defibrillators at a cost of $187,000 - including installation and one year’s maintenance - in the county’s downtown court complex. That’s why a device was available to investigators Johnny Bonds and Woody Woodruff of the district attorney’s office, who rushed a block and half to Glaeser’s rescue.
Garcia said she had installed the devices in all her Precinct 2 community centers, widely enjoyed by more senior constituents, using money from her office budget.
“They don’t cost that much, and they are easy to learn to use,” Garcia said, noting that a portable AED was used to shock a constituent’s heart back into rhythm on a county-owned precinct bus. “Training is encouraged, but the system talks you through. And they save lives.”
Garcia’s aide, Paul Mabry, noted that the devices cost about $2,000.
Just as citizens should prepare themselves for medical emergencies by taking certified first aid and CPR courses, they should avail themselves of training in the use of AEDs. The Red Cross and the American Heart Association offer the training. As officials have seen the value of putting defibrillators in public facilities, from schools to airports, lessons in AED use could stave off the death of a loved one or stranger.
Medical professionals are encouraging businesses, including retail centers, casinos, industrial plants and office parks, to make at least one AED available on site. The modern version of the instrument relies on a computer chip that reads heart rhythms and a recorded voice that informs the user whether a shock is needed.
With the first sign of cardiac arrest, time becomes of the essence. Having to wait for treatment by paramedics often can mean death. The Heart Association points out that some 250,000 people die each year from sudden cardiac arrest, and defibrillation is the only therapy to treat this condition. It is in the highest public interest to make AEDs available in as many public and private spaces as possible.