CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 5, 2006 – Richard Mikels, the general manager at Beck Imports, became a hero this morning when he used a defibrillator to restart the heart of a 71-year-old man who collapsed in the dealership's service department.
Medic, the Mecklenburg EMS Agency, is looking to make heroes out of other citizens by equipping them to save lives through the placement of easy-to-use Automated External Defibrillators (AED's) such as the one Mikels used; and CPR training based on simplified guidelines from the American Heart Association (which no longer call for "mouth-to-mouth" resuscitation).
Beck Imports had taken the initiative to buy and place an AED in the dealership. When Aaron Baker went into cardiac arrest at about 8:50 this morning, one employee called 911 while another grabbed the AED. A Medic crew was the first on the scene within three minutes, but by that time Mikels had applied the defibrillator and Baker's heart was beating again. Baker was awake and alert at Carolinas Medical Center this afternoon.
The quick action of the Beck employees illustrates the importance of eliminating the empty minutes between the moment someone calls 911 to report a heart attack, and when the first emergency personnel arrive at the scene.
Cardiac arrest is one of a few conditions for which timely treatment is most critical. American Heart Association guidelines show that the chances of survival decrease by 10 percent for every minute that a patient's heart fails to pump. So even if the first emergency personnel get to a cardiac arrest patient in five minutes, his or her chances of survival already have been cut in half.
With the affordable and easy-to-use AED's, and simplified CPR guidelines, there has never been a better opportunity to eliminate the cardiac arrest "dead zone" represented by empty minutes. That's why Medic is launching an effort to make citizens the true First Responder in cases of cardiac arrest.
Community Defibrillators
The evolution of easy-to-use defibrillators has put the power to restart a stricken patient's heart into the hands of ordinary citizens. Less complicated than the advanced defibrillators used by Medic, these portable units literally talk the user through the process using voice commands. Medic's dispatchers are also trained in protocols that allow them to walk callers through the process.
The units now cost as little as $1,200 apiece, and are placed in some public facilities and office buildings in Mecklenburg County. Fewer than 100 sites in the county are registered as having at least one AED. Medic is ready to work with businesses, community groups, churches or anyone interested in placing an AED in a facility.
For information on AED's, call the Medic Community Line at 704.943.6166, or email AED@medic911.com.
Police AED's
In addition to community AED's, the local chapter of the American Heart Association, in an effort supported by Medic, helped to raise private funds to equip all police units with AED's in Mecklenburg's towns, and to train the officers in their use. While Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers also have been trained in the use of AED's, there has been no funding to supply the devices.
CMPD's use of AED's would provide a valuable blanket of coverage countywide, while enhancing first response to the calls for which time is most crucial. Police AED's have already yielded results in Pineville, where a Pineville Police officer was the first to arrive on the scene of a patient in cardiac arrest. Defibrillation was the only course of action that could save the patient, and the officer's prompt use of an AED saved his life.
Cost of CMPD AED's would be approximately $1.2 million.
For information on Police AED's, call the Medic Community Line at 704.943.6166, or email AED@medic911.com.
Simple CPR
As Richard Mikels proved today, those who actually witness a heart attack, if they are prepared, can be the patient's best hope for survival.
New guidelines for administering CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) issued in November by the American Heart Association simplify the process while aiming to improve results. After finding that blood flow from the heart often stops again when chest compressions are interrupted to provide "mouth-to-mouth" breaths, AHA researchers altered the guidelines.
Medic is aggressively training new instructors who can then teach CPR in the community. The Agency is also encouraging companies, clubs, churches and other organizations to host CPR training programs.
To learn more about how to find or host CPR courses, call the Medic Community Line at 704.943.6166, or email CPR@medic911.com.
