|
9/29/03
Contact: K.E. Schwab --
724-738-2199; e-mail: karl.schwab@sru.edu
SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY ADDS 14
AUTOMATIC DEFIBRILLATORS ACROSS CAMPUS
IN
EFFORT TO HELP HEART ATTACK VICTIMS; ALSO EQUIP POLICE
CRUISERS
SLIPPERY
ROCK, Pa. -- In an effort to help save lives following onset of a
sudden heart attack, Slippery Rock University has made available 14
automatic external defibrillators, known as "AEDs," at high traffic
locations throughout campus. The units have also become standard
equipment for campus police cruisers.
The
units, similar to those seen on popular television medical shows
and used across the country by medical professionals, deliver a
powerful electric shock to stop abnormal heat rhythm and allow the
heart to return to a more normal beating pattern.
"Our
goal is to protect the lives of our employees and students," said
William Rudloff, director of campus environmental health and
safety. "Having AEDs on site increases access to early
defibrillation and can help save lives," he added. Sudden cardiac
arrest reportedly claims more than 250,00 lives annually. Survival
rates for sudden cardiac arrest are less than 20 percent when
defibrillation is delayed 10 minutes or more.
The
campus units are programmed to walk the user through the
defibrillation procedure with little previous training. Still, more
than 60 university staff have already undergone a four-hour
training session to familiarize themselves with the units and with
cardiopulmonary resuscitation. After being attached to a heart
attack victim, the defibrillating units automatically check the
patient for actual need before delivering the shock treatment.
Other training sessions will be offered throughout the remainder of
the year.
The
wall-mounted units located in some buildings sound an alarm when
opened. Other units are held at the main desk for easy
access.
Similar
portable units have become popular across the U.S. with many cities
equipping police cars and other emergency, first-responder vehicles
with such units.
PN, PgN, WPN, PR, PT,
S
|
