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Media Contact: Jessica Salzman
Phone: 816-841-5227
24-Hour Media Cellphone: 816-721-2504

July 19, 2007

Automatic External Defibrillator Saves a Life!

Local Red Cross offers AED training

(Kansas City, Mo.) — This week an automated external defibrillator (AED), combined with CPR training, helped to save Jimmie Hontz’s life at the Johnson County Courthouse. Stories like these remind us of the importance CPR and AED training. The Kansas City Red Cross is here to teach people in the community these important lifesaving techniques.

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone. It claims the lives of 220,000 people in this country every year. This means that every minute of every day, SCA claims another victim. SCA occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart become blocked, the flow of blood which carries oxygen to the heart is slowed or stopped, and the muscle fibers contract chaotically rather than in synch with each other as they normally do. When SCA strikes, seconds mean the difference between life and death. With each minute of elapsed time before defibrillation, the survival rate of the victim diminishes by 10 percent.

Manual defibrillators work by giving the heart a controlled electric shock, forcing all the heart muscles to contract at once, and, hopefully jolting it back into a regular rhythm.

Historically, only trained medical professionals were able to interpret the heart rhythms on manual defibrillator devices. However, today’s new AEDs use embedded computer chips to analyze the rhythms instantly and accurately, making it possible for non-medical professionals to administer the same vital service without risking an accidental shock. Thanks to these easy-to-use, portable AEDs and training from your American Red Cross, ordinary people can be lifesavers. By delivering an electric shock to the heart, an AED can restore a heart’s normal rhythm. Immediate use of an AED, in conjunction with CPR, could save up to 50,000 lives a year.

American Red Cross AED training teaches participants how to respond to victims of sudden cardiac arrest. Participants will learn how today’s AEDs are easy to use, thereby minimizing response anxiety. Red Cross AED training is offered with Adult CPR (4.5 hours) and with Adult CPR and First Aid (6.5 hours). These comprehensive courses include:

Thorough, interactive training on the proper use of AEDs;
Interactive training and certification in adult CPR;
Intensive practice scenarios;
A unique skills card that enables participants to continue practicing after course completion; and
Optional OSHA-compliant First Aid instruction also available.

If you are interested in learning more about American Red Cross AED programs, please call (816) 841-5236 or click here for a complete listing of available First Aid, CPR and AED training.

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