Experts call devices smart idea, but say CPR is as important
By Matt Tullis
The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
Copyright 2006 The Columbus Dispatch
All Rights Reserved
A 27-year-old woman was lifting weights when she collapsed. A 64-year-old man was lying in bed when he went into cardiac arrest. A 17-year-old girl was struck by lightning.
These people, whose stories are among many others on the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association’s Web site, have one thing in common: They were saved by automated external defibrillators, or AEDs.
The devices, which deliver a shock to the heart of a person in cardiac arrest, are increasingly being placed in public places such as schools, shopping malls, airports and parks.
Now, they can be in your home.
In 2005, Philips Electronics obtained federal approval for the only automated external defibrillator available without a prescription, called HeartStart, and the company has been selling them through online retailers such as CVS, Amazon.com, Sam’s Club and Staples. The units sell for between $1,100 and $1,500.
Dr. Christine Lawless, section director of preventative and sports cardiology at Ohio State University Medical Center, said this is good, not only for patients with heart conditions or families with a history of them, but for everyone.
“Heart disease is the No. 1 killer for everybody,” Lawless said. “It’s not a bad idea to have one in the home.”
Lawless said that the earlier a shock is delivered to a person in cardiac arrest -- an event more likely to occur at home than anywhere else -- the better chance that person has of surviving. Every minute lost represents a 10 percent reduction in the person’s chance of survival, she said.
“The closer you get to that first minute, the better,” she said.
More than 450,000 Americans suffer cardiac arrest each year, and fewer than 5 percent survive. Most die waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
Lt. Tim Erb, a paramedic field supervisor with the Columbus Division of Fire, said he has yet to come upon a heart-attack victim who had an in-home defibrillator, but he said similar devices in airports and shopping malls have already helped save lives.
Still, consumers should not rely on such devices alone. They should always be used in conjunction with standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation, said Jill Steuer, a professor of nursing at Capital University and a member of the National Emergency Cardiac Committee of the American Heart Association.
“A defibrillator alone won’t always solve the problem,” Steuer said. “We stress that people have to know CPR. One without the other is only half a solution.”
The unit delivers a shock once. If that doesn’t restart the heart, CPR should be performed. Unfortunately, Steuer said, CPR training is not required for people purchasing the units.
“The machines are very easy to use,” she said. “They talk you through it, 1, 2, 3. But if you don’t know how to use CPR, it’s kind of like, what do we do next?”
The HeartStart unit provides directions on performing CPR if needed.
Lawless said she carries an automated defibrillator in her car because she works at youth athletic events. There have been several reports across the country of the defibrillators saving the lives of young athletes.
In three years, Lawless said, she has yet to use hers. “When you don’t have it, that is when you’re going to need it,” she said.
She thinks more people should have them and added that the cost is likely to drop. Just a couple of years ago, the cheapest defibrillator was selling for more than $2,000.
Steuer, however, is not so sure that a defibrillator in the home of someone who doesn’t know CPR would be that helpful.
“I guess if I had my choice between having an AED in the house or having somebody in my house who knew CPR, I would opt for somebody who knew CPR,” she said.