Are you fully prepared to deal with sudden cardiac arrest emergencies in your office? If someone were to suddenly collapse, what would you do? The answer to this question could be simple if your office had an up-to-date AED, also known as an automated external defibrillator.
SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST AWARENESS MONTH—
October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, and we want everyone to be aware and prepared. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a life-threatening emergency that occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating. It strikes people of all ages who may seem to be healthy, even children and teens. More than 350,000+ deaths occur each year as a result of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), so you can see why it’s important to have all the necessary tools in case of an emergency. You may think you are prepared or highly skilled in CPR, but you can never be too prepared when another person’s life is at risk.
Unfortunately, you never really know what is going on inside someone else’s body. Without feedback, you don’t know if your compressions are effective or if you could be doing things differently, and this is an obvious factor in whether someone survives or not. The shocking fact is that today only 1 in 10 people survive a Sudden Cardiac Arrest event. However, if a bystander is able to give CPR and uses an AED immediately the survival rate goes up to by 50%.
While there are often no warning signs before Sudden Cardiac Arrest occurs, some of these symptoms may come before:
- Fatigue or weakness
- Shortness of breath
- Fainting
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Heart palpitations
- Chest pain
Sudden Cardiac Arrest signs and symptoms are immediate and drastic and include:
- Sudden Collapse
- No pulse
- No Breathing
- Unresponsive
WHY YOU NEED AN AED—
AEDs are designed to provide accurate feedback and instruct you on the next appropriate move when caring for someone who is experiencing SCA. The AED works based on electrode pads you will attach to the victim’s bare chest. It then analyzes their heart rhythms and advises you what the next step should be. Whether the victim needs a shock or your compressions are lacking, the AED will guide you through the process. A shock isn’t always necessary, but high-quality CPR can be critical during this time.
Not all AED’s are advanced enough to help with CPR. However, since this is so crucial when a shock isn’t needed, you should have an AED that can offer you the feedback and advice you need. The ZOLL AED with Real CPR Help and CPR-D-padz attached will aid you in performing CPR, compared to other AED’s that aren’t advanced enough to help with accurate compression rate and depth. The feedback provided by the ZOLL AED plays a large part in the victims’ chance of survival.
If you are interested in getting an AED for your company, Click Here. You can also purchase other products to help keep your office prepared for emergencies.
