HeartSafe America: Sudden Cardiac Arrest, SCA, AED, Automated External Defibrillator, Drop to Shock

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for over 300,000 lives per year. Therefore, to lessen the odds of another life being lost, it is critical that every business, school, and church equip themselves with an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Early defibrillation is the essential key to surviving a Sudden Cardiac Arrest and the 3^rd link in the American Heart Association’s Chain of Survival. In order to give a victim an optimal chance to live, the American Heart Association recommends defibrillation within the first 3-5 minutes. A victim's chances of surviving SCA decrease by 7-10% with every minute that passes without defibrillation. Therefore, a cardiac arrest victim who does not receive a shock within 8-10 minutes has less than a 20% chance of survival. Unfortunately, few attempts at resuscitation succeed after 10 minutes.

Once an organization has made a proactive decision to protect its members with an Automated External Defibrillator, placement is key to optimizing response times. When determining the location, it is ideal to use a three-minute time frame or the “drop to shock” principle. Once the victim “drops”, the rescuer has ideally no more than three minutes to retrieve the AED, return to the victim, apply the pads and deliver the first shock. This principle will also help determine the number of AEDs needed to sufficiently cover a facility.

An AED should be placed in high traffic, easily accessible area such as a hallway, lobby, or other area where people congregate. When an area has been identified, the AED should be mounted near other emergency medical equipment (First Aid Kit, Fire Alarm).

In addition to determining the correct number of AEDs and placement, there are several other important elements to deploying a successful AED program such as designating a program director, medical oversight, selecting an AED, notifying local EMS and implementing a training program.

Contact HeartSafe America to find out more about sudden cardiac arrest and how your organization can save lives by using the “drop to shock” principle to equip your organization with AEDs. HeartSafe America’s goal is to educate the public about sudden cardiac arrest and how AEDs can save lives.