Editorial
Thousands Dying Needlessly in Condo and Office Towers
Safety agencies are not addressing the fact that thousands of people are dying in high rise and office buildings each year in the US, because EMS simply can’t get to them in time. Arrest victims and rescuers have no access to the only device that can save them – an AED.
Paramedics and firefighters are doing the very best they can – it’s time for our heart advocates and building code engineers to identify this continuing tragedy as a major public health problem – to mandate minimal AED provisions for high rises – and enable the residents and workers in danger to protect themselves.
[continue reading...]Recent Posts
- A Life-Saving Drug Out of Reach
- NIH Launches Trials to Evaluate CPR and Drugs
- Short Technical Bio for Dwight Jones
- Thousands Dying Needlessly in Condo and Office Towers
- People who live in poorer areas at more risk for SCA
- Study: One-fifth of AED failures traced to battery, power problems
- New Data Released from CARES Program on SCA’s
- “We’re in a war with the Fire Dept!”
- Cheap health insurance vs our deadliest threat
- AED Use: Survival before EMS Study
Articles
A Life-Saving Drug Out of Reach
Naloxone is a benign drug that CPR volunteers could use to rescue overdose victims, who now outnumber auto fatalities.
No-Hope Highrise to HeartSmart Community with Tandem AED/EMS
The Tandem AED/EMS strategy has an in-house AED delivering its lifesaving treatment well within four minutes. EMS then arrives some minutes later to consolidate the rescue.
It’s a simple, tandem sequence that resolves a major issue for a large percentage of the population – EMS cannot reliably access SCA victims inside four minutes, and in high rises it is nearly impossible.
A Silent killer stalking high-rises
Living or working in a high-rise just about eliminates your chance of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest.
There’s an AED in my Fire Code!
People who live or work in high rise buildings are poorly protected against sudden cardiac arrest because they are more difficult to access by EMS crews. A single line of code mandating one AED in the lobby can protect occupants in high-rises worldwide.
NCDs: Silent Killers Plague the Species
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – namely cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes – cause 60% of all global deaths, but receive just 2.3% of international development assistance for health.
Resuscitate! by Dr. Mickey Eisenberg
This is the absolute Bible on the subject, one 9-1-1 call at a time, forty years on, and this volume is every municipality’s working manual for SCA rescue implementation.
The Heart Rescue Project
The vision is for every American who suffers sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) to receive lifesaving, state-of-the-art care at the scene, en route and in the hospital.
Response Times
New Data Released from CARES Program on SCA’s If a pulse is not restored before EMS transport, additional efforts at the receiving hospital almost invariably fail.
“We’re in a war with the Fire Dept!” From 50% 50 years ago, actual fire calls are now just 1% of fire department responses, who are now just “there to stop the clock”.
The Hard Facts about Sudden Cardiac Arrest In New York the EMS time is about 12 minutes, due to traffic delays and the logistics of getting to victims in high-rise buildings.
Resuscitation Networks and VF detection alarms As we look around for fresh ideas in the cardiac advocacy realm, there are some novel and promising concepts out there.
Deployment
The AHA on AEDs – Where, How Many? The presence and location of AEDs in large office complexes or high-rise buildings can greatly impact survival rates.
The New AED Registry – Closer to the Heart? Efforts to improve survival should focus on the prompt delivery of medical interventions. CPR and AEDs both need good neighbors.
An AED in Every Bank? Elevaed’s submission to use ATM areas to host AEDs was “declined” at both levels. The banks, which trumpet their involvement in our communities, have no interest.
AEDs in Towers – Every 5th Floor? In high-rises, every fifth floor is a static ploy, rather than a dynamic one like elevators, but may have its place nonetheless.
CPR
Cheap health insurance vs our deadliest threat Given our overweight and aging boomer generation, expect heart safety to emerge as a novel and affordable concept.
The Cardiac Science SCA Summary The only known treatment for sudden cardiac arrest is a shock from a defibrillator, administered as quickly as possible.
Questions & Answers about AEDs and PADs Common questions about AEDs and Public Access Defibrillation (PADs), with answers from the American Heart Association
Red Cross offering “Citizen CPR” training The American Red Cross now offers Citizen CPR training, a brief course in providing hands-only CPR to victims of cardiac arrest.
Studies
NIH Launches Trials to Evaluate CPR and Drugs The continuing study of adjunct treatments for SCA; see also the recent doubts about epinephrine
People who live in poorer areas at more risk for SCAIf there is an elevator, put a PAD in the lobby and watch poor people save themselves.
Study: One-fifth of AED failures traced to battery, power problemsEvidently more AEDs should be in powered and networked enclosures – not all need to be standalone.
AED Use: Survival before EMS Study Application of an AED in communities is associated with nearly a doubling of survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
