Don't fear defibrillators, says mother who lost son (Canada)

Automated external defibrillators that give instructions on how to use them have been installed at Edmonton International Airport and an Alberta mother wants to make sure people aren't afraid to use them. Kim Ruether's 16-year-old son Brock died from cardiac arrest last year even though there was defibrillator at his volleyball practice. It turned out that people were afraid to use the device. Since then, Ruether and her husband have been educating people on how to use AEDs which use an automated voice to talk users through each step. "Maybe someday a parent will come say thank you for raising this awareness and saving our boy or girl," Ruether said.
Ruether told her story at Edmonton International Airport where 60 automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) have been installed throughout the terminals

Cardiac arrest survival rate tops in Ottawa

If you're going to have a heart attack in Ontario, your chance of surviving such an occurrence outside of the hospital is best in Ottawa, says the city's top paramedic Anthony DiMonte. "We're over 12 per cent, we're more than double the Ontario average," said DiMonte during a presentation to city hall Thursday. "From being one of the worst communities to have a cardiac arrest in, you're now sitting in a community that's probably one of the best." Before the city began installing defibrillators in its public recreation centres, the chances of surviving a heart attack before paramedics arrived was just two per cent. But now there are more than 800 automated external defibrillators in the city

British Columbia to add more defibrillators to save lives (Canada)

British Columbia will increase public access to automated external defibrillators to save more lives, the province's health ministry recently said. An AED is a safe, portable device that anyone can use to deliver an electric shock to restart a heart in sudden cardiac arrest. It reads the heart rhythm and only delivers a shock if needed. BC Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid said her ministry will work with the Heart & Stroke Foundation, one of Canada's largest health charities, to provide $2 million for the installation of 450 AEDs in public venues over the next two years. Those venues will include community centers, arenas, recreation centers, playing fields and sports centers. According to the ministry, the current survival rate for an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest is only about five percent. Evidence shows that survival rates can be raised to 75 percent if a defibrillator is used within five minutes. The province's Ambulance Service will support the AED-installed venues by providing orientation for staff on how to correctly use and maintain the devices. It will also compile a registry linked to the ambulance dispatch information system. When a bystander calls 9-1-1 for an ambulance, the dispatcher will know if an AED is available at the location, and will assist the bystander to use the AED on the cardiac arrest patient

Hockey player in cardiac arrest revived with AED (Canada)

Ottawa paramedics are crediting a defibrillator for helping revive a hockey player who collapsed November 19 from cardiac arrest. They said the 41-year-old was playing at the Minto Arena in southeast Ottawa when he collapsed around 11:00 a.m. Bystanders, including an off-duty paramedic, started CPR immediately and shocked him three times with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to help him regain consciousness. Paramedics said the man was conscious and talking to them when they handed him over to hospital staff. Paramedics said they'd like to acknowledge the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario for providing this particular AED, one of more than 600 in Ottawa that paramedics oversee. They said the "chain of survival", which includes early CPR, early defibrillation and early notification of paramedics, drastically improves survival rates in people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest

Defibrillators in Scottish shops

A scheme which will see life-saving devices installed in 40 stores in Scotland has been hailed by Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon. The Semichem shop in Kirkcaldy is the first to have its staff trained to use the automated defibrillators which can help save the lives of heart attack victims. As part of the programme the devices, which give the heart an electric shock, are being installed in Scotmid, Semichem and Fragrance House shops. The Scottish Ambulance Service is helping Scotmid to purchase and install the in-store defibrillators, training staff to ensure they can use them quickly if needed. The ambulance service also worked closely with the company to identify those stores where the defibrillators are likely to save the most lives

Second option defibrillator electrode pads to help save more lives (USA)

Rice University bioengineering students have developed a modified set of external defibrillator pads that can provide an additional option for cardioverting the heart. Three electrodes are embedded between two pads and a switch selects which path for the current to take. By following simple user instructions, bystanders can easily provide a second option that's not available in current defibrillators. The system, which was created to transparently improve the efforts of untrained public responders, can be adapted to existing defibs.

Video: a 'shocking' treatment for cardiac patients (USA)

"Sudden cardiac death is the most common way heart patients die. The great majority of the deaths occur from fatal heart rhythms. There's a new preventive treatment, and men seem to out number women getting the treatment. The treatment implants under the skin a small gadget that can shock the heart back to a normal rhythm, a defibrillator. A defibrillator can be a painful jolt if you're awake, but that alone doesn't explain the sex difference in patients getting the device..."

New implanted defibrillator may be simpler, safer (USA)

"A new, wireless defibrillator that is easier to implant and maintain could make life better for people who rely on them to prevent sudden cardiac death, researchers report. A defibrillator delivers an electric shock to restart a heart that has stopped beating. About 100,000 of them are implanted in Americans each year. Current models require careful surgery to run wires from the device through a vein into the heart - a procedure that can damage the heart, a lung or a blood vessel, even when done by the most skilled practitioner. The new device, developed by Cameron Health, a small California company, does away with those wires and has worked as well as the more complicated existing implanted defibrillators in several studies, according to a report released at the Heart Rhythm Society annual meeting in Denver"

Public defibrillators save lives

"Placing automatic external defibrillators in public places across the United States and Canada could save the lives of 474 people who otherwise would die of cardiac arrest each year, researchers report. Previous studies have found similar lifesaving results for defibrillators in more limited setting, such as casinos or airports, noted study author Dr. Myron L. Weisfeldt, chairman of the department of medicine at Johns Hopkins University. "But this is in a much broader setting than airports or casinos, where security guards might be available," Weisfeldt said. "This is a first report of real-world experience, how effective they are when in large cities." The findings will be published in the April 20 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The study included almost 14,000 people who suffered cardiac arrest in public places in seven U.S. cities and three Canadian ones between December 2005 and May 2007" - HealthDay

Gift saves life in Deddington after 20 minutes (UK)

A piece of life-saving equipment, designed to save heart attack victims, proved its worth after being pressed into service just minutes after being handed over. The defibrillator was handed over by Deddington Farmers' Market's committee (Oxfordshire) to volunteer first-aider Colin Stephens on Saturday. Within 20 minutes, South Central Ambulance Service, was alerted to a 76-year-old woman having a heart attack in the village. Mr Stephens, a community responder, and Matt Winser and Dave England - community responder training officer and liaison officer for the ambulance service - were nearest to the woman's home and arrived first on the scene. An ambulance arrived soon after and the woman was taken to the Horton Hospital in Banbury. Mr England said: "We were there literally within seconds and were able to successfully resuscitate the patient. Thanks to the generosity of Deddington Farmers' Market, the village now has its own defibrillator. But no-one imagined that it would be put to use so soon to save a life in the village."

Only a heartbeat away from a long, healthy life (Canada)

"Shawn and Shane Mamer don't worry anymore that they'll die if their hearts start skipping a beat. Because when it happens - and it will, says their cardiologist - a shock five to 12 seconds later will get their hearts beating properly again. The 31-year-old identical twins, dental students from Saskatoon who inherited a deadly heart condition, had defibrillators implanted in their chests last week at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton, Canada. It's one of the ways doctors are reducing the number of seemingly healthy and fit young men who suddenly drop dead, usually while playing an explosive competitive sport such as hockey or football. A lot of people black out before they get the jolt of electricity from an implanted defibrillator, the shock of which is very painful, says Dr. Evan Lockwood, 'but feeling a shock is a good thing because it's a sign you're still alive.' The incidence of all sudden cardiac deaths is estimated to range from one in 50,000 to one in 200,000 people. One of the most common reasons for these tragic deaths is an undiagnosed genetic heart condition"

Surplus Olympic defibrillators donated to public groups (Canada)

More than 200 community groups, aboriginal communities, search-and-rescue organizations, ski patrols, old-timer hockey leagues, schools and non-profit groups will receive surplus automatic external defibrillators that were used during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Paralympics. The gifts from the Vancouver Organizing Committee and Medtronic, the manufacturer, are in addition to defibrillators they left in every competition and non-competition venue. Shelley Parker, a spokeswoman for Medtronic, said nearly 350 groups across Canada applied for the machines, which can be used by bystanders when someone goes into cardiac arrest. More than 200 will be refurbished and distributed to the groups. A number of more advanced units that include monitoring devices and require a trained physician will also be delivered to sports development programs, university cardiac rehabilitation facilities and teaching institutions. The AEDs, as they are called, are in addition to seven that a Burnaby-based memorial society, the Gianfranco Giammaria Memorial Society, is installing in Vancouver city rinks. Dr. Mike Wilkinson, Vanoc's chief medical officer, said Medtronic agreed to the $2-million donation as part of its involvement as a "Friend of the Games." Medtronic expects to begin sending out the AEDs by May

The Defib Centre (UK)

The Defib Centre Ltd, the Sussex-based sudden cardiac arrest information resource and authorised distributor of UK-manufactured HeartSine Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) has just launched. According to the British Heart Foundation, sudden cardiac arrest kills more than 2,000 people in the UK every week. It is the UK's biggest killer, claiming more victims than lung cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined. It is these appalling statistics that motivated Robin Shepherd, former Channel 5 and BBC1 Watchdog "back expert", to set up The Defib Centre. "A cardiac arrest will completely drain the life from someone within 10 minutes. But, instead of standing by and watching that happen, with a little training and an essential, affordable, easy-to-use piece of equipment, you can improve their chance of survival dramatically," says Shepherd

'Heart risk' at football stadiums (Europe)

"Too many football grounds in Europe do not have the right equipment and plans to save the lives of fans who have heart attacks, a study has found. The poll of 187 stadiums found over a quarter did not have defibrillators and many did not have emergency plans. The Sweden-led study, carried out by a group of club doctors, stressed more had to be done as it was not always easy to get ill fans to hospital. Researchers said there should be mandatory rules covering the issue. At the moment, it is simply considered good practice to have defibrillators at sports grounds. But in recent years many governments - including the authorities in the UK - have been doing more to increase the availability of the life-saving equipment in public spaces. Defibrillators work by delivering a controlled electric shock through the chest wall to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat" - BBC

Procedure boosts outcomes in implantable defibrillator patients (Germany)

"Heart patients with a dangerous rapid heartbeat called ventricular tachycardia often get implantable cardiac defibrillators to help control the condition, and a new study suggests that they will have fewer recurrences of the abnormality if they undergo a procedure called catheter ablation before they receive the device. Reporting December 31 in The Lancet, researchers at Asklepios Klinik St. Georg in Hamburg, Germany, looked at 107 patients aged 18 to 80, all of whom had had a previous heart attack, an episode of stable ventricular tachycardia and reduced left-ventricular function. Participants were assigned to receive implantable defibrillators either alone or along with catheter ablation, a procedure that destroys faulty tissue within the heart linked to irregular heartbeats. The patients' outcomes were followed for an average of close to two years" - HealthDay

Cowan Foundation contributes second $1 million to strengthen Heart and Stroke Foundation's Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Program (Canada)

The Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF) has announced a $1 million contribution by The Cowan Foundation to its national Heart&Stroke Restart a Heart, Restart a Life™ Automated External Defibrillator (AED) program. The contribution will support the purchase, allocation, training and installation of AEDS in public places across the country. This represents the second million dollar donation from The Cowan Foundation to support the program. "Our national AED program is growing, thanks to the exceptional support from our corporate sponsor, The Cowan Foundation. Their generous contribution will make defibrillators easily accessible to Canadians and increase the potential to help save the lives of Canadians in their communities," says Irfhan Rawji, vice chair of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Defibrillators will be placed in public places across the country including community centers, sports arenas, and shopping malls. Criteria for determining areas most in need include emergency response times, the potential of higher incidence of sudden cardiac arrests in large public places, and local readiness to support a public access defibrillator program

Headphones may cause hiccups in cardiac devices

"Patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators or pacemakers should avoid placing the headphones from their MP3 players too close to their chests, researchers said. That's because the magnets in portable headphones may cause the cardiac devices to temporarily malfunction, William Maisel, MD, MPH, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues reported in the October issue of Heart Rhythm. In a study of 100 patients with an implanted device, 30% had a clinically significant interaction when certain models of headphones were placed on their chests, including inhibition of tachyarrhythmia detection in ICDs and asynchronous pacing in pacemakers" - Medpage Today

Philips Healthcare recalls 5,400 defibrillators

Philips Healthcare said Saturday it is recalling about 5,400 automated external defibrillators after receiving reports of a memory chip failure in a small number of some models that could make them inoperable - SFGate

SCA Foundation announces winners of video contest

"Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Foundation has announced the winners of its first video contest designed to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest. The student competition drove teams from across the country (USA) to submit videos about the importance of CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use, and empowering students to make a difference in helping to save lives. The Grand Prize Winner is St. Francis de Sales Catholic School in Salisbury, Maryland. The SCA Foundation will award the school with a new AED, three CPR Anytime™ kits, and a Nintendo Wii game system"

Defibrillators installed on NSW trains (Australia)

"Life-saving devices to help heart attack victims are being installed on major NSW stations and long-haul trains after a successful trial. The rollout of more than 100 defibrillators, designed to be used by commuters and railway staff, comes after a life was saved during a trial of just five machines. NSW Premier Nathan Rees said the units were aimed to provide vital help during the 24 cases of heart attack on RailCorp platforms and trains recorded on average each year. They will be installed on the network's busiest stations including Central, Strathfield, Parramatta and Penrith, as well as in Newcastle, Maitland and Gosford. The defibrillators will also be available onboard CountryLink XPT and Xplorer trains." - 9News