The sun was shining on this warm summer afternoon and people were outside enjoying it. A group of men had gathered near the parking lot of a local shopping center to play a friendly game of basketball. The play was active, the temperature rose and everyone had a lot of fun…until the unexpected happened.
I was the nurse receiving the patient when the doctors took him to the emergency room that afternoon.
“He collapsed while playing basketball in the street. Luckily someone grabbed the AED and he’s back,” the doctor reported upon arrival. The patient was sitting up straight watching impassively as the paramedics moved him to the waiting bed in that tiny ER exam room.
I looked at the patient who smiled at me and shrugged. You don’t know how lucky you are Those were my thoughts and I smiled back at them. We proceeded to examine it, texting it and scanning it for issues. Hours later, this man left the emergency room with his wife and returned to his house unharmed.
The heroic act of friends that day saved this man’s life. I witnessed the miracle of the AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and was impressed that someone around the now famous game of basketball knew how to use it.
Thank you community training programs for this! Courses taught in Basic Life Support (BLS) techniques include the skills necessary to use an AED properly. Fortunately, public businesses (such as the mall), airplanes, and other public spaces are storing AEDs in easily accessible and visible areas, much like a fire hydrant. The little red box is usually identified by the letters AED stamped in white, plus a conspicuous sign to make it easy to locate the device. Finding the AED is one of the initial steps of CPR, a step that anyone offering assistance during CPR initiation can do to help.
AED use is not relegated to medical professionals trained to recognize arrhythmias on an EKG or tracing. BLS trained and certified individuals have the necessary skills to recognize and use an AED during an emergency event. The design is brilliantly simple with its application just as easy. Image tracking and a computerized voice that instructs the user with each step allows the rescuer to deliver a life-saving “shock” on command. In fact, that is exactly what happens. The device indicates where to place the pads and then continues the instruction with verbal commands.
It is necessary to keep a clear head and follow the instructions to use this device. BLS or CPR training to support its proper use provides the additional support of familiarity and practice, and is the appropriate step to take before using an AED. Life-saving defibrillation has been shown to be an important factor in improving outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest. With the introduction of the AED into the public consciousness, lives have been saved and will continue to be saved. My patient will attest to that… after the next game of Round Robin is over!