An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a device that delivers an electric shock to the heart muscle to restart the beating of the heart if it has stopped due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA).
In an emergency situation, some damage to the brain may already have occurred due to the lack of blood pumping by the time an ambulance arrives. If you know how to recognise the signs and take action, you could improve the victim’s chance of survival dramatically.
Let’s take a look at what SCA is and how we’re trying to make a difference in Inverell!
What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest?
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) involves a problem in the electrical system of the heart, which causes the heart to beat too fast or in an irregular rhythm. The heart can then stop beating completely. The heart muscle quivers and is unable to coordinate the muscles to contract at the same time to pump blood around the body as usual.
As a result, the supply of oxygen to the rest of the body stops and the vital organs can lack the oxygen they need. People with Sudden Cardiac Arrest usually collapse short after their heart stops to pump blood, and serious and irreversible damage to the brain can begin within four to six minutes after the cardiac arrest.
SCA is the top cause of death in Australia and it can affect people of all ages, even children or adolescents who seem to be healthy. However, it is most common in older people who are affected by coronary artery disease.
A lot of people get Sudden Cardiac Arrest confused with a heart attack, but they are actually two different conditions. In a heart attack, there is a problem with the blood supply to the heart muscle so that the muscle starts to die. For Sudden Cardiac Arrest, the heart suddenly stops beating due to an irregular rhythm of the heartbeats.
Are there warning signs of Sudden Cardiac Arrest?
Unlike a heart attack that often has noticeable warning signs before the attack, many people who experience sudden cardiac arrest don’t notice and symptoms until their heart stops completely.
In most cases, people around the individual will only notice that something is wrong when the victim suddenly collapses and loses consciousness and other signs of life.
What should you do if someone has Sudden Cardiac Arrest?
If you notice someone collapse suddenly without any apparent reason and cannot find signs of life, such as a pulse, it is possible that they may have Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
It is essential to act quickly because irreversible damage to the brain can begin within four minutes of the collapse.
It is important to call an ambulance for help, but even with a fast ambulance response time, there is likely to be some damage to the brain as a result of the delay.
The patient will have the best chance of survival is a bystander is able to notice the signs take immediate action. Performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) can help to increase the time before brain damage starts to occur, but the best solution is and uses a nearby Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to help restart the rhythm of the heart so it can begin beating once again.
What is an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)?
An AED is a device that is able to deliver an electrical shock of the heart muscle to “reset” the electrical signals of the heart and get the heart to begin beating again.
They are portable and designed to be very easy-to-use so that almost anyone would be able to use it in an emergency situation. When it is turned on, step-by-step instructions will begin to guide a bystander to use the AED to complete the defibrillation process and start CPR.
If a bystander is able to recognize the signs, find an AED and use it correctly within 3 minutes of the patient collapsing, the survival rate of the patient will increase from 5% to 70%.
Increasing Access to AEDs
The majority of cases of Sudden Cardiac Arrest happen outside of medical setting in homes or public places. This means that most people who are affected aren’t able to receive rapid defibrillation need to get their heart pumping again.
The best way to increase the survival rate for patients who have Sudden Cardiac Arrest would be to increase the number of AEDs in public places where it may occur.
AEDs around Inverell
A major project for the Inverell Lions Club in 2017 is to raise funds to purchase AED’s to place around our town. If we can increase the availability of AED’s and make sure there is one in each of the main public places, we could use it to save lives in our community.
We’d like to see more AEDs around the town in schools, sport clubs and other public places in Inverell.
However, each machine is worth around $3,000 so this goal requires a lot of funding to make it a reality. Throughout the year, we will be holding several events to raise money for the cause and increase the safety of our town.
On the 3rd of March (Friday), we’ll be holding a Twilight Charity Bowls Night to raise money for the cause. Cost is $12 per person and this includes a Sausage Sizzle and a chance to win some fantastic prizes.
Call in to the pharmacy at 132 Byron Street (next to Telstra) and purchase some Raffle Tickets with amazing prizes to aid the cause – with your help we can make Inverell and District a lot safer
Want to find out more?
If you’d like to find out more about Sudden Cardiac Arrest or how to use an AED in an emergency situation, we’ll be happy to help you at Inverell Pharmacy. Simply stop by for a chat with one of our pharmacists at 132 Byron Street (next to Telstra), or give us a call on 0267 22 3146.
Inverell Pharmacy – your locally owned and operated pharmacy with 5 pharmacists to Assist and Advise you.