Defibrillators May Save Lives In Public Places!

Every year, some 300,000 Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest, which should be differentiated from heart attack. In fact, a heart attack may actually cause sudden cardiac death either during the first few hours of the heart attack or up to many years after the attack.

We can consider sudden cardiac death as an electrical malfunction while heart attack as one that is caused by blocked arteries (plumbing malfunction). Sudden cardiac arrest is a potentially deadly event, in which heart stops contracting and fails to pump blood properly.

When such event occurs in public places like airport or shopping mall, any bystanders could save the life of the victim using automatic external defibrillator (AED). A study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reported that bystanders using battery-operated defibrillators might be saving more than 500 lives every year in the United States and Canada. The findings were presented at an American Heart Association meeting in Orlando, Florida, on November 5, 2008.

The automatic defibrillators are of laptop size and are portable. They come with full set of instructions so that even the untrained bystanders could be guided through the rescue process. The defibrillator analyzes the person's heart rhythm and delivers a shock when necessary through the electrodes placed on the victim’s chest.

In the study, the researchers analyzed patient records from more than 10,600 incidents of cardiac arrest called into 911 emergency telephone lines in the 11 cities in the United States and Canada.

It is found that bystanders administered CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) in nearly 30 percent of the cases, while in 2.4 percent of the cases, bystanders offered CPR together with automated defibrillator. There was only 259 patients had been offered an AED by a bystander. Their survival is very good. If patients needed a shock and device shocked them, their survival rate is 36 percent, as compared to the overall rate of 7 percent.

Since the AEDs are available in public places, where people could get them fast in case of emergency, the survival rates with a defibrillator are about 2.5 times better than with the help of CPR alone.

The study advocates wider use of AEDs as the cost is considerably affordable. According to the researchers, for example, putting in AEDs in a building with 1,000 people will cost US$3,000, which is less than the price of a cup of latte.

What Is The Chance of Surviving Sudden Cardiac Arrest Outside Hospital?

There is no doubt that time is very critical if a person is to survive sudden cardiac arrest (heart attack). According to the American Heart Association, the chance of survival from sudden cardiac arrest decreases by 7 to 10 percent with every passing minute.

The average survival rate in Singapore for people who suffer from heart attack outside hospital is rather poor: between 1.5 percent and 3 percent. This is because of the small number of people here who are trained in CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and the limited effectiveness of performing CPR.

CPR is a technique that involves mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing and chest compressions. It helps artificially circulate oxygen-rich blood for the victims, keeping their brain and vital organs alive. In most cases of sudden cardiac arrest, the heart can also have an irregular rhythm, which can be corrected using an automated external defibrillator (AED).

AED is a portable computerized machine delivers an electric shock to re-establish normal heartbeats. Being easy to use, AED can allow non-medically trained people help save lives. The people who use it just need to follow the step-by-step instructions from the machine via voice prompt. In Singapore, AEDs have been installed at sports centers, stadiums and swimming pools, as well as major public places such as hotels and shopping centers.

The American Journal of Sports Medicine revealed that around 1 to 5 sudden cardiac deaths occur each year for every 1 million athletes below the age of 35. People with the age below 35 years old having sudden cardiac arrest are usually the result of coronary artery disease. Sudden cardiac arrest victims who are below 35 years old are due to a genetic disorder known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle.

People with this type of disorder are predisposed to abnormal heart rhythms, which can be triggered during vigorous exercise. Though most of the reports of athletes dying from sudden cardiac arrest were men, this does not rule out women.

In fact, HCM could happen equally in both sexes. One possible reason for more reported cases of cardiac arrest in men is that men are more likely to engage in vigorous and competitive sports. In comparison, women's level of participation in intensive sports is much lower than that of men. That is why women are less exposed to exercise-induced cardiac arrest.

Recognizing the warning signs of a possible heart condition is very important. Those who get palpitations, breathlessness or dizziness, and those who have a family history of heart problems should consult their doctor.

Unfortunately, identifying athletes who are vulnerable to the condition is not so easy. Some heart problems cannot be detected in tests, and screening for rare congenital conditions can be expensive, too.

Nevertheless, people who want to engage in vigorous physical activity, such as marathons or hiking expeditions, are still urged to go for a thorough screening.