If a University of Memphis student has a heart attack on campus, his or her chances of survival just increased. The University joined a small list of colleges and universities that have acquired automatic external defibrillators (AEDs).
The University has purchased eight Cardiac Science ‘PowerHeart’ AEDs. They are part of the school’s new public access defibrillation program.
Police Services at The University has six of the devices, which are located in each squad car. The other two defibrillators are located at the Student Health Center and the Student Recreation Center. All personnel in those departments have completed training on using the AEDS.
“I feel better knowing that if I keel over from my bad habits (smoking) someone here (on campus) could zap me back,” said finance major Lisa Vescovo. “But I’m not sure about the training they get.”
Unlike the defibrillators seen on medical dramas, AEDs are relatively easy to use. They are pre-programmed to analyze the heart’s electrical function, and use voice prompts and screen displays to instruct the operator.
The lunch-box sized devices use adhesive electrode pads to deliver a brief but powerful electrical stimulation, interrupting the abnormal rhythm and helping to restore the heart’s natural rhythm.
AEDs are portable devices that deliver an electrical shock to the heart to halt sudden cardiac arrest and restore a normal heart rhythm.
The National Center for Early Defibrillation at the University of Pittsburgh reports that if defibrillation is applied within the first minute of a heart attack, the probability for survival increases by 90 percent.
For every minute of delay, the survival rate for a person in cardiac arrest drops about 10 percent. Because cardiac arrest victims only have a 10-12 minute window for successfully resuscitated, every minute counts.
“We want to be sure we can respond effectively to any cardiac medical emergency that happens on our campus,” said Dr. Wayne Cappoth, U of M medical director.
Each year about 220,000 people suffer cardiac arrest and only 5 percent of them survive. Cardiac arrest is a condition in which abnormal heart rhythm, a condition called arrhythmia, causes the heart’s electrical impulses to become chaotic. When this happens the heart stops abruptly and the victim collapses and quickly loses consciousness. Death usually follows, unless a normal heartbeat can be restored within a few minutes.
“Last year I saw a guy have a heart attack while playing hackie sack,” said junior business major Drew Richcreek. “He didn’t make it. Maybe if they had one of those (AEDs) back then they could have saved him.”
Sudden cardiac arrest outside hospitals claims more than 11,000 lives in the United States each year.
