Automatic External Defibrillators (AED's) save heart attack victims

[five_alarm]

CALGARY, AB - Recently, the Emergency Medical Services Department and the Calgary Fire Department have joined with the City of Calgary to begin deploying AEDs in public areas, including the Calgary City Hall, Heritage Park, Maple Ridge Golf Course, Pan Canadian Tower, Calgary Zoo and the University of Calgary. Baker, director of advertising and public relations with North Safety Products in Montreal, Qué. says the AED device that his company brands and distributes will only give an electrical shock to a person if it is needed. It will not shock and cannot be made to shock someone who is not having a heart attack. "You don't shock for an irregular heart beat," Baker says. Baker adds since Ontario's Bill C-45 makes senior management personally liable for worker safety and with the increasing age of today's workforce, AEDs will likely become more common as companies look to avoid potential a lawsuit arising from a worker who has a potentially fatal heart attack while on the job and there not being adequate emergency devices onsite to help that worker.

Source: industrialsourcebook.com (http://www.industrialsourcebook.com/cgi-bin/archivef.pl?id=769&linkid=820&parent=news(headlines)&)

[five_alarm]

HIGH RIVER, AB — It looks as though the Foothills Regional Emergency Medical Service’s (FREMS) goal of installing defibrillators in 52 placements throughout the region in a two-year time frame should be child’s play. According to Theresia Kinahan, administrator of the FREMS Public Access Defibrillation program, there are roughly 35 placements of defibrillators throughout the Foothills at the moment, with another year still left to go in the program. “We are extremely pleased. We’ve had a lot of input from organizations and different service clubs, as well as private donations to keep the program in operation,” said Kinahan. “Once I started with some advertising and word of mouth, the program took off on its own.” So far in the past year, defibrillators have been placed at the Medicine Tree Manor, the Recplex, Cargill Foods and the Highwood Golf and Country Club in High River. The senior drop-in centre, curling club, and Foothills AIM society are also on Kinahan’s list of future locations. Although Oilfields was the first high school to receive the machines, Highwood high school recently joined the list of recipients thanks to a grant from STARS air ambulance. “All high schools in the area will have a machine. That’s my goal and I know it will happen by September,” said Kinahan, who noted that the machines can increase the rate of survival of a person who experiences cardiac arrest from five per cent to 85 per cent when used within 3-5 minutes. “The more there are out there, the more accessible they are and the higher the chance of survival.”

Source: highrivertimes.com (http://www.highrivertimes.com/story.php?id=139211&linkid=1367&parent=news(headlines)&)

[FireEMTGuy]

Glad to see others taking a proactive approach to public access AED's! :)

[five_alarm]

SASKATOON, SK - A hockey player will live to suit up another day, thanks to quick-thinking staff and a valuable piece of life-saving equipment at a Saskatoon arena.

The 34-year-old man collapsed from a heart attack during a game last evening.

Ambulance spokesman Troy Davies says staff realized someone was down on the ice, called 9-1-1 and grabbed an automated external defibrillator that's in the building.

Davies says the player regained a pulse and started breathing after getting one shock from the machine.

Source: StarPhoenix (http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/news/story.html?id=8441b9ad-441c-4dc8-bc6a-993b2cf85f88)

[dentedhead]

SASKATOON, SK - A hockey player will live to suit up another day, thanks to quick-thinking staff and a valuable piece of life-saving equipment at a Saskatoon arena.

The 34-year-old man collapsed from a heart attack during a game last evening.

Ambulance spokesman Troy Davies says staff realized someone was down on the ice, called 9-1-1 and grabbed an automated external defibrillator that's in the building.

Davies says the player regained a pulse and started breathing after getting one shock from the machine.

Source: StarPhoenix (http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/news/story.html?id=8441b9ad-441c-4dc8-bc6a-993b2cf85f88)


Hey guys this phenomenom is becoming more apparent at an alarming rate.Otherwise healthy males 30-45 having MIs while playing hockey.I read there is Dr.from Nova Scotia (I think), doing a study on it after seeing more of these cases in his ER.

Thank whoever it is you thank, for public access defibralation.Hopefully it will soon be more common than not.

Dentedhead

[ehetu]

You don't have to stick your head in a hockey arena to see those kind of stats...check out the LODD stats for firefighters in the U.S....if I'm not mistaken, close to 40% are due to MIs doing anything from responding, on scene, at the hall or in parades. I'm trying to get AEDs on our trucks and stories like this just reinforce the need.

Edmond
Chelsea FD

[Toxic]

I'm still trying to make a case here at work for getting AED's. We have an arena, basketball court, and various other sports facilities. Keep those posts coming - more fuel for the AED fire.

[Scuba]

ehetu - you guys don't have any defibs in your department?

Toxic.... I'm in the same boat - I've been trying to get management on the AED bandwagon for the last 2 years....working in a facility with 700+ people and a fully trained hazmat/EFR/facility emergency response team just doesn't make sense to me for us not to have one......for what - $2500? if that.

Really frustrating at times when stuff like this isn't purchased, and you know it's should be.

[ehetu]

No defibs anywhere near our firehall. Some are afraid if we get AEDs we'll suddenly get the overflow calls from ambulance dispatch. I'm thinking we're already equiped for rescue, first aid, O2...don't think having an AED is gonna suddenly turn us into an EMS service if we don't want to, but hey, what do I know?

[Scuba]

Our communities are about the same size ethu - we usualy run 4 or 5 calls for unconcious unresponsive pt's a year....

[cdnbacon]

We just had a 47 year old male who had a massive MI just as he was leaving the gym after his workout.

Apparently the doctors are amazed he's still alive (he is in a drug induced coma).

Shocked three or four times.

[firefighter26]

We just had a 47 year old male who had a massive MI just as he was leaving the gym after his workout.

Apparently the doctors are amazed he's still alive (he is in a drug induced coma).

Shocked three or four times.

What's the deal with British Columbia seeming to be in the dark ages when it comes to AEDs in public places? I mean, I know there are about a million hoops the jump through to get the ticket and endorsement, but obviously it works in other places.

Our department doesn't have an AED and gets less than a call a year that one would be used in due to the low population. HOWEVER, there are a number of "repeat customers" who I am sure it is only a matter of time before they are going to need one. It has always been a belief of mine that we can never have enough tools in the toolbox, even if they don't get used very often.

As a side note, I already have my AED endorsement above and beyond my training with the FD, but I guess that still wasn't enough to make me suitable to be a firefighter when I re-applied! ;)

I for one would greatly endorse seeing public access AEDs in British Columbia. I have seen them everywhere else and they work!

[five_alarm]

MISSISSAUGA, ON - All City facilities will now be cardiac safe thanks to the donation of four automatic external defibrillator (AED) units from the Mikey Network. The AED units will be placed at Clarkson Pool, Glenforest Pool, Cooksville Branch Library and Courtney Park Branch Library.

"The defibrillator units are designed to be easy to use in crisis situations to treat sudden cardiac arrest victims and have been used successfully by anyone with minimal training in life saving," said Fire Chief Garry Morden. "The units are used approximately five times each year and in two cases, have saved lives."

The Beat Goes On program, administered by St. John Ambulance and Mississauga Fire & Emergency Services, received the donation from the Mikey Network to the City. The Mikey Network, founded by Heathwood Homes and the Heron Group, is a non-profit organization committed to placing AEDs in as many locations as possible increasing the survival rates of people who suffer from sudden cardiac arrest

Source: mississauga.ca (http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/cityhall/pressreleases?paf_gear_id=9700020&itemId=42700038&returnUrl=%2Fportal%2Fcityhall%2Fpressreleases%3Bj sessionid%3DLMQEMHVJFMMWJTRPH3XCFE4OF25W4JVC)

[five_alarm]

BURNABY, BC - At Lougheed Town Centre, customers can get more than shops, food and entertainment. In the event of a heart attack, they can even get life-saving treatment using an automated external defibrillator. The mall's security staff have been trained to use the machines since last spring, said centre manager Fay Laing. "We have not had to use it yet, cross my fingers and knock on wood.

The trend in the shopping centre industry is toward making the automated defibrillator machines available, she said, noting Brentwood Town Centre and Pacific Centre are among malls in the region which also have the equipment and trained staff

Burnaby firefighter Jim Peever is hoping more malls and large public places will make the life-saving machines available. The Burnaby Fire Fighters Charitable Society is spearheading an effort to make Public Access Defibrillation as common as fire extinguishers in public places

Source: burnabynewsleader.com (http://www.burnabynewsleader.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=41&cat=23&id=509251&more=)

[five_alarm]

VICTORIA, BC - The Victoria Police Department has become the first in B.C. with a permanent stock of portable defibrillators to help people in medical emergencies. While the use of so-called "automated external defibrillators" is relatively common among eastern Canada police forces, it is just beginning to make its way west. Police in West Vancouver are running a pilot project with the devices, and a number are in place in jail compounds around the province.

Acting Insp. Les Sylven said the Victoria department is committed to having five defibrillators. It already has one of the $4,300 units at the front desk and jail area in its main Victoria building, and one at its Esquimalt division. Two more will be in patrol cars by the end of the week.

Training is also underway for over 240 staff members. "Every officer in this department, by the end of November, will be trained in operating these," Sylven said. "We just think it's the right thing to do for our citizens, to have our officers trained and able to deploy [them]."

Source: canada.com (http://www.canada.com/victoria/story.html?id=8a4581a8-5ce3-43d3-b462-1f5e534e96be)

[five_alarm]

VANCOUVER, BC - Generally speaking, most high school students don’t have heart problems, but David Badger, a Grade 10 Argyle High School student, tragically died after suffering a cardiac arrest during gym class in late October. His death sent chills through the North Shore community, so much so that it prompted St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary School to altogether rethink how they administer first aid.

The school recently obtained an automatic external defibrillator, or AED, that is designed to shock the heart back into functioning. The unit was donated to the school by the local Knights of Columbus, and on Nov. 14 students and teachers were trained how to administer first aid and use the device.

Source: bcc.rcav.org (http://bcc.rcav.org/05-11-21/)

[five_alarm]

WINDSOR, ON - More and more private homes as well as public institutions are buying high-tech automated external defibrillators to help people suffering sudden cardiac arrest or other heart rhythm problems like the one experienced Monday night by Detroit Red Wings defenceman Jiri Fischer. "We have one on order," said Florin Octeanu, manager of LaSalle Fitness. "It's been suggested for insurance purposes, and the safety of our clients."

In 1999, an extensive program was mounted in Windsor-Essex County to place them in public areas such as golf courses, the casino, health clubs, shopping malls and other areas. DaimlerChrysler's factories as well as its office building in Windsor have them on hand, with employees trained in their use, said company spokeswoman Kerrey Kerr.

Source: canada.com (http://www.canada.com/fortstjohn/story.html?id=7fffcf46-b980-4ec4-802a-d6daedd1367f)

[five_alarm]

TORONTO, ON - Toronto's four major pro sports teams say they're ready to handle a medical emergency like the one that nearly killed Red Wings defenceman Jiri Fischer. Fischer was recovering in hospital yesterday — "He's actually cracking some jokes," said team doctor Tony Colucci — a day after his heart appeared to stop on the bench during a game. Colucci used a defibrillator and performed CPR on Fischer.

Officials with the Leafs, Raptors, Jays and Argos say team doctors and emergency personnel would have responded similarly. "We're probably in good shape to handle all the eventualities but we'll double-check when we review everything prior to spring training," said Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey. "If it's life-threatening, it can be the doctors or the paramedics (who respond initially). For regular injuries, the paramedics handle it. They're well-trained. In some cases, they might be better than doctors; they handle trauma all day."

Source: thestar.com (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1132701011451&call_pageid=1044442959412&col=1044442957278)

[five_alarm]

INTERNATIONAL - DETROIT - He may not necessarily feel that way, given that the future of his National Hockey League career is now in doubt, but the Detroit Red Wing defenceman definitely beat the odds.

During the first period against the Nashville Predators on Monday, Fischer went into convulsions on the bench at Joe Louis Arena and suffered sudden cardiac arrest. Between 350,000 and 500,000 North Americans go into sudden cardiac arrest while not in hospital every year. About five per cent of them survive.

In seconds, expert medical aid was at Fischer's side. The training staff and team physician Tony Colucci did their jobs with skill and speed. CPR was administered but it was the presence of a small, life-saving machine that probably made the difference.

Source: lfpress.ca (http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/Sports/Hockey/2005/11/23/1319055-sun.html)

[five_alarm]

MONTREAL, QC - Pierre Chabot scored a goal in the first period of a game at a Dorval old-timers hockey tournament last month - not that he can remember it. In fact, the 52-year-old city of Montreal employee can only recall driving to the rink and waking up in a hospital two days later after collapsing on the ice.

The Pointe Claire Volunteer Rescue Unit leaped into action when Chabot fell as he skated to the bench, performing cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and using a defibrillator to revive his stopped heart. Now recovering from quadruple bypass surgery, an upbeat-sounding Chabot said the intervention "clearly saved my life."

Chabot was indeed lucky the rescue unit was at the tournament. Most local arenas don't have the life-saving devices - and neither do shopping centres, public venues or businesses.

Source: canada.com (http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=a6532b7c-3a76-4d68-a99f-afad563c1715&k=16683)

[iamvff]

Had the same thing happen at a tourney I was at this time 2 years ago, guy scored a goal, skated back to the bench and dropped dead. Unfortunately, CPR was to no avail. We were the next team up to play, and it was a pretty sombre tourney after that. Really made a few people stop and review their lives when it happens right in front of you! Life must go on......


iamvff

[Dave404]

Had the same thing happen at a tourney I was at this time 2 years ago, guy scored a goal, skated back to the bench and dropped dead. Unfortunately, CPR was to no avail. We were the next team up to play, and it was a pretty sombre tourney after that. Really made a few people stop and review their lives when it happens right in front of you! Life must go on......
iamvff

So must the game!:D

About 4 years ago was playing against a team and watched one of them collapse - no defibrillator available. CPR until EMS arrived, got a pulse back, but passed away at hospital. Another player collapsed in the dressing room on a seperate occassion (it was an old timers game) defibrillator in the building, got a pulse back...again died in hospital, hmmmm makes ya wonder what the Dr,s are doin wrong!

[fire16]

so. is it the personel that dont know how to use the equipment, or is it lack of whatever. I have a slight problem with anyone who says AED's are idiot prove. Know when to use it/how to use it comes to the forefront.

As joe citzen do I need to be *trained* in the use of a AED that is located at the local hockey area? It mey cause more problems than it was intended to fix. Would joe FF be more liable than joe citizen ?

[Dave404]

so. is it the personel that dont know how to use the equipment, or is it lack of whatever. I have a slight problem with anyone who says AED's are idiot prove. Know when to use it/how to use it comes to the forefront.

As joe citzen do I need to be *trained* in the use of a AED that is located at the local hockey area? It mey cause more problems than it was intended to fix. Would joe FF be more liable than joe citizen ?

How would it cause more problems? Yes people need to be trained on how to use an AED. If they arent they wont know the proper safety precautions and could wind up Zapping the living.

As for AED's - for the trained person they are idiot proof. Biphasic technology means the pads can be reversed on the chest, backwards, upside down. The AED's give you step by step instructions........they NAG until you have completed the step before they will move on. As long as the energy gets delivered. AED are set up to only shock v-fib and are 99% accurate.

Can anyone use an AED....yes. Not everyone will use them safely thus training in cpr and AED is optimal.

[dentedhead]

so. is it the personel that dont know how to use the equipment, or is it lack of whatever. I have a slight problem with anyone who says AED's are idiot prove. Know when to use it/how to use it comes to the forefront.

As joe citzen do I need to be *trained* in the use of a AED that is located at the local hockey area? It mey cause more problems than it was intended to fix. Would joe FF be more liable than joe citizen ?

They are virtually idiot proof so that anyone can use them,just like the fire extinguishers that have been hanging in public places for years.

Most if not all places that have PAD set up train the employees of the building or facility how to use them.A family friend just retired he was a pilot for AC he was trained as was his wife who is a stewardess,she had it memeorized.... lovely girl but needed a map to get home every time she left the house.So with 4 hours training anyone can use it effectively.

Would John Q Public break glass and use it? Who knows,but they could very easily with limited(CPR) or no training at all.


Dentedhead

[sunfire67]

I believe they are idiot proof, i am an AED instructor and the person that trained me to be an instructor told us abotu a story of when he trqined his som how to use thedefib, brought him into the course and showed everyone that a 6 year old boy can use an AED. If someone who is 6 can use a defib, someone who is an adult and can read can use a defib.

[five_alarm]

WESTMOUNT, QC - Westmount is part of a group of Montreal suburban municipalities which are pooling their resources in order to buy life-saving heart defibrillators at a significantly reduced cost. Westmount, Beaconsfield, Dorval and Dollard des Ormeaux are some of the cities that teamed up for a better price for the medical equipment, which is known to improve the odds if a person suffers a heart attack.

The chosen machines, which come with state-of-the-art features such as voice recognition, are worth about $2,700 each. By combining their resources, the cost to the suburbs has been reduced by $600.

"I think it's particularly important that the City take every available opportunity to improve its response to medical emergencies," said city councillor and acting mayor George Bowser, who is replacing Mayor Karin Marks this week while she's on vacation.

Source: westmountexaminer.com (http://www.westmountexaminer.com/pages/article.php?noArticle=23576)

[five_alarm]

SAANICH, BC - Push harder and push faster when performing CPR, says the new Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada guidelines. The new technique is designed to save more lives, but it is still difficult to perform correctly.

In event of a heart attack, ambulance response time is generally not fast enough to save a life without some form of immediate first aid. "When an individual goes down you've got 10 minutes to respond," said Gene Hemsworth, CPR trainer for EMP Services Canada. "That 10 minutes goes by very fast."

If paramedics do not arrive on scene before then, it's too late.Less than five people out of 100 who receive CPR will survive - even with revamped CPR guidelines, Hemsworth said. However, the number of survivors could increase significantly if people had greater access to automated external defibrillators. "As high as 50 per cent of people will recover if an AED is used correctly," Hemsworth said.

Source: saanichnews.com (http://www.saanichnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=28&cat=23&id=613271&more=)

[FF30]

Just curious, why are healthy 30-45 year olds dropping from MI's? If these people eat healthy, don't smoke (or drink), and workout consistently, just curious as to what some of you may think are the reasons.

[wilderness]

Just curious, why are healthy 30-45 year olds dropping from MI's? If these people eat healthy, don't smoke (or drink), and workout consistently, just curious as to what some of you may think are the reasons.
stress kill's

[Dave404]

Just curious, why are healthy 30-45 year olds dropping from MI's? If these people eat healthy, don't smoke (or drink), and workout consistently, just curious as to what some of you may think are the reasons.

Genetics. People that have dropped dead from MI's or Cardiac related events that appear healthy and look and feel healthy may simply due to genetics kick off early. If you dont know theres a problem how can you diagnose it?

A round of angio-grams for the house!:D

[dentedhead]

Just curious, why are healthy 30-45 year olds dropping from MI's? If these people eat healthy, don't smoke (or drink), and workout consistently, just curious as to what some of you may think are the reasons.

Bodies are funny old things.You could have someone who is healthy and takes care of them self and out of nowhere the heart packs it in.Or conversely the chronic alcholic heavy smoker that lives to be 80.

There is a litiny of dysrythmias that can appear basically out of nowhere.One of the most perplexing ones I have seen is most pronounced in adolescents its a prolonged ST segment that usually kills them instantly this is most commonly seen during strenuous activity this is what was also killing people taking prepulsid(gastric reflux Rx) a few years ago. I have done two in my career a 17yoM playing basketball and a 12yoF while at dance class.When you have a younger healthy person arrest the insult is usually so great they have absolutley no chance of a positive outcome.

Another one getting close attention is the incidence of MI/cardiac arrest in males late 30s to mid 40s while playing hockey.This is happening in guys who are otherwise healthy to the ones that fall in the risk factor catagory.I think a Dr in Nova Scotia is currently doing a study on it after noticing an increase in guys showing up in his ER with similar etyologies and often poor outcomes.

Other things that come into play are of course genes or anomalies missed at birth. These would be more common in the late 30 early 40 age group.We were born just prior to all the fancy baby detecting devices that are now used,its incredible what can be picked up in an ultrasound or inutero echocardiogram.

These are just a few of the things that I have read about in journals and come across during my time in EMS. Hope that answers some of your question.

[Toxic]

Another one getting close attention is the incidence of MI/cardiac arrest in males late 30s to mid 40s while playing hockey.This is happening in guys who are otherwise healthy to the ones that fall in the risk factor catagory.


Many older arenas have poor ventilation systems and are prone to elevated levels of CO and NO2 from flooding equipment. Diesel tractors are the worst offenders but we've even seen a badly tuned propane zamboni push levels way up. In Manitoba the "acceptable" level for CO in arenas is something like 4 times the TLV (the allowable workplace exposure based on 8 hrs/day 40 hrs/week). When you play a game of hockey your body is pushed much harder that it ever would at work - yet the "acceptable" level is much higher. At the risk of having my local arena shut down....IMO this needs to be looked into in more detail...

[Brandon]

I think they are a great idea for fire depts and public arenas. Especially for the lads that one day have to jump in gear and a BA for 4 hours at a structure fire. Never know with them.

Problem I see is that some more "mature" ff's in rural depts are scared to death of them, and tend to influence the general attitude toward them. Its even harder when you only get a handful of med assist calls every couple months. Im not even sure proper training and understanding of how they work and in what situation would help.
Guess we'll find out in the near future.

[dentedhead]

Many older arenas have poor ventilation systems and are prone to elevated levels of CO and NO2 from flooding equipment. Diesel tractors are the worst offenders but we've even seen a badly tuned propane zamboni push levels way up. In Manitoba the "acceptable" level for CO in arenas is something like 4 times the TLV (the allowable workplace exposure based on 8 hrs/day 40 hrs/week). When you play a game of hockey your body is pushed much harder that it ever would at work - yet the "acceptable" level is much higher. At the risk of having my local arena shut down....IMO this needs to be looked into in more detail...


While this theory isnt without merit.The increase in these events are more related to specific physiologies pertaining to the cardiovascular system.It has more to do with the heart going from 0-60 and back again repeatedly,there is some question as to positioning when coming of the ice is causing restrictions or vasal changes ie:come off and bending forward to try and catch your breath,I had a discussion with an ER doc about this but i cant remember all the details....it was at an X-mas party.

There would probably be similar findings if they were to start studying FF deaths due to cardiac arrest while exerting themselves at a fire.Very similar activity levels.

Im still trying to track the study(s) down.

Dentedhead

[Dave404]

While this theory isnt without merit.The increase in these events are more related to specific physiologies pertaining to the cardiovascular system.It has more to do with the heart going from 0-60 and back again repeatedly,there is some question as to positioning when coming of the ice is causing restrictions or vasal changes ie:come off and bending forward to try and catch your breath,I had a discussion with an ER doc about this but i cant remember all the details....it was at an X-mas party.

Dentedhead

UHOH DH your in that 40yr bracket - light drinking at x-mas party......risk factors man!:D

[dentedhead]

UHOH DH your in that 40yr bracket - light drinking at x-mas party......risk factors man!:D

Im about smack dab in the middle,believe me its starting to become something I think about everytime I lace the skating boots up.

Who said anything about light drinking.Gawd I am a walking risk factor Family Hx, smoke, eat what I want the only positive, Im not overweight....yetLOL.

My advice to you is start drinking... heavily- Bluto to Flounder.

Dentedhead

[Toxic]

The increase in these events are more related to specific physiologies pertaining to the cardiovascular system.
Im still trying to track the study(s) down.
Dentedhead

Sounds like an interesting read...if it's wrote in firefighter so I can understand it. :)

[dentedhead]

Sounds like an interesting read...if it's wrote in firefighter so I can understand it. :)

The unfortunate thing is they are usually written by docs for docs and are very big wordy,anyone can read them.I know that after I have read some of them I come away knowing less than when I started.

How much do I miss those days?

I am still looking however.

Dentedhead

[five_alarm]

GATINEAU, QC - After losing her beloved husband two weeks ago, Josee Bussieres vowed to her three young children that something good must come from their dad's death.

Active, fit and full of life, Michel Petit was the picture of health. A sports medicine doctor who coached his daughter and son's soccer and hockey teams, the 47-year-old Chelsea man was likely the last guy his hockey buddies would expect to have a heart attack.

But during a Tuesday night pick-up game March 14, a queasy feeling forced Petit off the ice at Beaudry Arena in Gatineau. A few minutes later, the University of Ottawa doctor collapsed in the dressing room. Friends started CPR while waiting for paramedics, who arrived 12 minutes after the 911 call. Petit died in hospital.

Source: ottsun.canoe.ca (http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/OttawaAndRegion/2006/03/31/1513243-sun.html)

[five_alarm]

OTTAWA, ON - It says something not very nice about our society when a member of the provincial parliament feels compelled to introduce legislation giving legal protection to people providing life-saving first aid. We have obviously grown far too litigious if we're reluctant to use a defibrillator on a heart attack victim for fear of being sued.

That's the unfortunate assumption, however, behind a private member's bill introduced in the legislature by Bruce Crozier (http://www.brucecrozier.com/), Liberal MPP for Essex. Ontario businesses would be more inclined to install defibrillators if they weren't so afraid of being sued for their misuse, says Crozier, whose bill has passed second reading in the legislature.

There's something you have to understand about the kind of equipment Crozier has in mind. These aren't the same paddles made famous on TV medical shows. It's virtually idiot-proof...

Source: ottsun.canoe.ca (http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Matthews_Geoff/2006/04/08/1525276.html)

[mutts252]

:(

as was said in the article... it's a sad statement about our society when laws like this truly need to be passed.

"i spilled my coffee on my lap, McDonalds didn't tell me it was hot"
"i got my 'member' stuck in the toilet seat at Starbucks"
"that's MY timmy's cup in the garbage can that i threw out, i want the car"
"you broke my ribs giving me CPR"

... and on and on. and yes, the first two were actual lawsuits (in the states, mind you), and they won ungodly amounts of money. and we all know about the 3rd example. :(

whatever happened to natural selection (see first two lawsuits) and just being grateful for what you have... sheeeeeesh.


/rant.

sorry.

[FitSsikS]

:(

as was said in the article... it's a sad statement about our society when laws like this truly need to be passed.

"i spilled my coffee on my lap, McDonalds didn't tell me it was hot"
"i got my 'member' stuck in the toilet seat at Starbucks"
"that's MY timmy's cup in the garbage can that i threw out, i want the car"
"you broke my ribs giving me CPR"

... and on and on. and yes, the first two were actual lawsuits (in the states, mind you), and they won ungodly amounts of money. and we all know about the 3rd example. :(

whatever happened to natural selection (see first two lawsuits) and just being grateful for what you have... sheeeeeesh.


/rant.

sorry.

One more....

"My parents had sex and brought an irresponsible cry baby into this world...

.....I'm gonna sue em!"

[irsqyu]

What makes this so different from the "Good Samaratan Act" which we now have, in Ontario anyway, and I believe in other provinces?:confused: http://www.ontla.on.ca/documents/bills/37_parliament/session1/b098_e.htm

[mutts252]

What makes this so different from the "Good Samaratin Act" which we now have, in Ontario anyway, and I believe in other provinces?:confused: http://www.ontla.on.ca/documents/bills/37_parliament/session1/b098_e.htm

it's just specific to AED's, because existing legislation was 'fuzzy' on their particular application.

[irsqyu]

it's just specific to AED's, because existing legislation was 'fuzzy' on their particular application.

Geez, your quick, I hardly hit submit and you had an answer, so basically its just covering the new technology

[mutts252]

Geez, your quick, I hardly hit submit and you had an answer, so basically its just covering the new technology

heh :o yeah i guess i just loaded the page right after you posted

i think you're right, new technology = new loopholes to patch up.

[five_alarm]

GATINEAU, QC - The widow of a 47-year-old sports medicine doctor who died of a heart attack playing pick-up hockey has raised nearly $25,000 in three weeks to put defibrillators in Gatineau hockey arenas.

All Josee Bussieres needs is for the city to accept her offer, which includes not only buying the life-saving devices, but training city staff. "How can they say no?" asked Bussieres, an emergency room doctor at Hull Hospital and mother of three young children. Bussieres made her case to the city's health committee yesterday and the matter will be discussed at the next council meeting.

Every arena, library, community building, ambulance, police car and fire truck in Ottawa is equipped with a defibrillator. In Gatineau, defibrillators are only found in ambulances.

Source: canoe.ca (http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/OttawaAndRegion/2006/04/20/1541406-sun.html)

[five_alarm]

MONTREAL, QC - Concordia (http://www.concordia.ca/) just increased its heart-smart quotient with the purchase of 11 automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). A defibrillator is a device that is placed on the chest of someone who has gone into cardiac arrest. It is able to assess whether the heart has established an abnormal rhythm, and if so, delivers a mild electric shock to get it back on track...

...If defibrillation is performed within the first ten minutes of cardiac arrest, the victim’s chances of survival increase up to 30 per cent. “If it’s within the first four minutes, their chances of survival are even more elevated than that,” Dumoulin said.

Eight of the compact, portable devices will be used exclusively by security on both campuses. They are usually the first to arrive at the scene of a medical emergency on campus and are trained as first responders.Defibrillator training for security officers will start by mid-May, and Dumoulin expects the devices to come into use in June. The program has the full support of Urgences Santé.

Source: concordia.ca (http://cjournal.concordia.ca/journalarchives/2006-07/may_4/006904.shtml)

[five_alarm]

COURTENAY, BC - The Strathcona Sunrise Rotary Club has donated two Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) complete with training units to the Courtenay Volunteer Fire Department. In the past year, the fire department has responded to over 500 calls for service, the club says.

“The use of a defibrillator is not just for victims, but also for the volunteer firefighters that respond to the calls,” Rotarians note. “Due to the stressful nature of the calls, firefighters have a predisposition to heart attacks and the defibrillators may also be used on the firefighters themselves IF necessary.”

Costing approximately $7,200, the two defibrillators and training units are rated to last over five years, and are automated to not only scan the patient for vital signs, but actually decide whether or not to shock the patient. This is all done while the defibrillator explains what it is doing to the attendant that is using the device.

Source: comoxvalleyrecord.com (http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=8&cat=43&id=642393&more=)

[five_alarm]

SLAVE LAKE, AB - The Lesser Slave Lake region will be a safer place to have a heart attack in coming months and years after the community’s air and ground ambulance society promised to invest more than $200,000 on as many as 20 automated defibrillator units and to train 1,000 individuals how to use them. “We want to give back to the community, rather than taking all the time,” Society spokesman and paramedic Darby Bannister told councillors for the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River last week. Source: lakesideleader.com (http://www.lakesideleader.com/newsroom/volume35/060531/story2.html)

[five_alarm]

RICHMOND, BC - Richmond’s top firefighter is applauding the initiative of a local group who are aiming to outfit local sports facilities with special life-saving equipment. Howard Jampolsky is part of a small group of concerned citizens that are lobbying the city to install automated external defibrillators at local ice rinks and will soon begin fundraising for the effort. The defibrillators don’t require expert medical knowledge, and contain simple instructions and specialized components that enable them to be used by virtually anyone....

Support this initiative sign Jampolsky’s online petition at www.petitiononline.com/aedrmd/petition.html (http://www.petitiononline.com/aedrmd/petition.html)
E-mail Jampolsky at howard@jampolsky.ca. (howard@jampolsky.ca)Source: richmondreview.com (http://www.richmondreview.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=45&cat=43&id=671722&more=)

[FFWannabe]

I'm glad we have AED's in the pools/arenas in Ottawa. The staff at Walter Baker were able to save a man who suffered a heart attack during a public swim two weeks ago thanks to their quick action and use of the AED!!

Sue :)

[five_alarm]

MEADOW LAKE, SK - Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) could soon be placed in public places in Meadow Lake. The machines, which jump start a stopped heart, would be located at the arena and the Aquatic Centre and become part of the fire department equipment, fire chief Russell Nelson told town council at its regular June 26 meeting... He said the defibrillators for the fire department and the pool have been donated by the Lions Club and the one for the arena was bought by the Legion. Each machine costs around $3,000.Source: meadowlakeprogress.com
(http://www.meadowlakeprogress.com/story.php?id=239598)

[five_alarm]

EDMONTON, AB - A move to install defibrillator machines at city-run facilities means swimmers, skaters and golfers are more likely to survive heart attacks, the head of emergency medical services says. As part of the Heart Safe program, the city has equipped 40 sites with the devices, which use electricity to shock the heart into normal rhythm after a sudden cardiac arrest, EMS Chief Steve Rapanos told a news conference Friday. More than 700 community services staff have been shown how to use the automated external defibrillators in the last couple of weeks.Source: canada.com (http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=024f6c9f-31a7-4707-9f36-86d5d97c8e03&k=19067)

[FFChick]

INTERNATIONAL - Portable defibrillators that have jolted thousands of hearts back to life in airports, malls and homes are often subject to product recalls, a decade-long study of the complex devices said on Tuesday."The chances that your (automated external defibrillator) would be recalled in any given year was one in 20. The chances that your (device) would be recalled during the entire 10-year study period was one in five,"
Source: reuters.com (click for full story) (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-08-08T200924Z_01_N081394_RTRUKOC_0_US-DEFIBRILLATOR.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C3-healthNews-3)

External Defibrillators Commonly Malfunction And Go Unreported: medicalnewstoday.com (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=49224)
FDA Safety Alerts For Automated External Defibrillators: newswise.com (http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/522485/)
External Defibrillator Warnings Not Adequate: forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2006/08/08/hscout534267.html)

[five_alarm]

EMO, ON - Two automated external defibrillators (AED) will soon be available in Emo—one at the clinic and one at the Emo-La Vallee Community Centre—to be used in cases of cardiac arrest. “It’s a preventative thought,” noted Emo reeve Ed Carlson, who is also employed by Riverside Ambulance Services. “Anyone can easily have a heart attack and Emo is fortunate to be proactive in getting them in the community.”Source: fftimes.com (http://www.fftimes.com/index.php/6/2006-08-09/26531)