When an emergency occurs in a public place such as a hotel, what is expected of onlookers? While a 9-1-1 call is standard, the minutes spent waiting for paramedics to arrive can feel like an eternity “” and sometimes they can prove fatal.
San Diego Project Heart Beat, a new program being implemented around the county, is addressing that critical first response period by installing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in public places and training community members on how to help save lives.
Since the program began five and a half years ago, Project Heart Beat has placed more than 3,300 AEDs across the county at locations such as the San Diego International Airport, hotels and schools.
“[The project was created] with one main purpose in mind: to increase the survival rates of sudden cardiac arrest victims,” said Maureen O’Connor, program coordinator for San Diego Project Heart Beat.
According to O’Connor, sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death, not only throughout America, but in San Diego County. In sudden cardiac arrest, or “sudden death,” a victim’s chance for survival drops 10 percent for every minute that passes without restoring the heart to a normal rhythm.
“As great as an EMS (Emergency Medical Services) department that I feel I work for, we have nearly an impossible time getting to a victim in a timely manner,” O’Connor said. “Our average survival rates for cardiac arrests are only 4 percent.”
Through Project Heart Beat, citizens can take immediate action rather than waiting for emergency personnel to arrive. To date, the program’s AEDs have saved 42 lives out of 55 cardiac arrest episodes.
According to O’Connor, AEDs were designed for utilization by the non-medically trained lay rescuer.
“Even a 5-year-old child could use these devices,” she said. “It will only shock a heart that is in cardiac arrest rhythm. It will not mistakenly shock somebody who is not in cardiac arrest.”
Through the program, any public or private venue in San Diego County is eligible to take advantage of the AED and accompanying CPR/AED training.
“We offer what we feel is the highest in quality AED at a greatly discounted rate [as well as] accessories and maintenance equipment,” O’Connor said.
Thanks to Project Heart Beat, cardiac arrest victims are more frequently transported to the hospital in stable condition. In a Jan. 17 incident at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina on Harbor Island, a 46-year-old man attending a conference regarding health and safety issues collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest.The hotel’s CPR/AED certified chief engineer grabbed the on-site AED unit, which was donated by the San Diego Rotary.
“Before the fire department ever got there, [the victim] was speaking, he was thanking the gentleman for saving his life,” O’Connor said.
This was the fourth time the AED unit has been used at this location, resulting in three saved lives.
San Diego International Airport has also had success with its AED unit. Staff members have saved six lives since receiving its AED unit five years ago.
“That’s huge,” O’Connor said of the airport’s success. “It’s medical history in our own backyard.”
Based on California statutory law, there must be one full-time employee certified for every AED unit at a given site, up to the first five units. One more person must be certified for every five units thereafter. However, non-certified personnel can use AED units in emergencies, as the device walks the user through the steps.
Another positive aspect of using AED units is that it records EKG (electrocardiograph) information, which is then provided to medical personnel at the hospital. That EKG information helps to establish what type of treatment the patient will have in the hospital.
“The doctor’s don’t always know what heart rhythm their heart was in when they were in cardiac arrest, but we have that information,” O’Connor said.
San Diego County is recognized as the best large community AED program in the nation due to the success not only in getting AEDs out in the community but also in the lives they have helped save, according to O’Connor.
Project Heart Beat is a program of the San Diego Medical Services Enterprise (SDMSE), a public-private partnership between the City of San Diego Fire-Rescue and Rural/Metro of San Diego. SDMSE is the 9-1-1-ambulance provider for San Diego and other cities within the county.
For more information, visit www.sdprojectheartbeat.com or www.sandiego.gov/fireandems/.