Machine wasn’t working when man had heart attack on Metro train

The defibrillator device at Metro’s Pentagon station that was used on a 51-year-old man who died after having a heart attack on a train Monday was “determined to have insufficient battery charge,” according to Metro officials.

Metro General Manager Richard Sarles ordered Thursday a review of the transit agency’s automated external defibrillator program after the device at Pentagon Station “did not perform as intended,” according to a news release from Metro.

Defibrillators are at 46 Metro stations now, and they will be reviewed within 24 hours to “ensure the devices are in good working order,” the statement said.

“While station managers have been trained to inspect defibrillators, procedures for conducting inspections and maintenance are being strengthened to include required signed daily inspection reports to prevent a recurrence.”

Metro has plans to put defibrillators at all station kiosks by April 20 and to replace older ones with “state-of-the-art” devices.

By Dana Hedgpeth,  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/post/machine-wasnt-working-when-man-had-heart-attack-on-metro-train/2012/04/19/gIQAw5ltTT_blog.html

AED:

A Life-Saving Device for Every Office

“I’ve been in practice for 30 years and have never had an emergency in my office.”

How many times have we heard this or said it ourselves? When I hear this comment, I have mixed emotions. On one hand, it means that dentists, as a profession, are doing what we can to avoid running into these situations by screening and following best practice protocols. On the other hand, it seems like, statistically, we are due!

It is nearly impossible to predict every unfortunate event that can happen in a public setting like our office or even to predict who is the most at risk. As health care providers, we are frequently promoting prevention to our patients, and yet we often don’t know who is at high risk until we see the physical side effects. We teach our patients how to avoid dental caries, periodontal disease, and guide them in what is most likely going to allow them to retain their teeth throughout their lifetime. However, when we have to react to a dental problem, sometimes it is too late and the tooth must be extracted. Prevention is the key for a long and healthy dentition.

The Numbers

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) accounts for 295,000 deaths outside of hospitals each year in the United States. That is more than lung cancer, breast cancer, and AIDS combined. The thing that frightens me most about this statistic is that many of these SCA cases are people we would consider at low risk or without any previous indication that something is looming under the surface.

When dealing with the emotional anxiety that many patients experience while visiting the dentist, the perfect storm can set off the reaction that we all fear the most—the SCA or heart event in our office. It is a tragic event for our patients, and it is devastating to us psychologically as well as disruptive to our schedule. I would rather be prepared to be a hero for my patients than not.

Defined: SCA

During SCA, the normally organized electrical impulses that initiate our heartbeats discharge chaotically, and the heart muscle twitches spasmodically. There’s rarely any warning, and a victim of SCA usually collapses and stops breathing immediately. The chances of survival from SCA fall by 7% to 10% every minute, and the single most effective treatment for SCA is early defibrillation— providing a shock to the heart within the first 5 minutes.

Many of these irregular rhythms are undiagnosed and just waiting for a trigger like a stressful event. We read of young athletes dying today because of undiagnosed heart conditions that might have been treated with immediate intervention.

Life-Saving Device—The AED

That being said, many states have now mandated the presence of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces. An AED is a portable device that can guide anyone with minimal training to administer a shock through the chest to someone in cardiac arrest.

I recently had the opportunity to tour Physio-Control’s state-of-the-art facility. I was impressed by their commitment to excellence as well as their history of leadership in the AED industry. They have a wide variety of professional products that will meet any office’s needs. For example, the LIFEPAK series of AEDs provides all clinicians with a tool that can save a patient’s life…or the life of a fellow staff member.

I encourage every dental practice to be prepared for an emergency by having an AED available in the office. For that one patient in your career that might need it, the AED will be worth every penny.

By Scott Parker, http://www.dentalproductshopper.com/articles/aed-life-saving-device-every-office

Wayne Klinger, 71, continues to amaze everyone at the Mitchell Recreation Center.

On Monday, Klinger and his wife, Janet, brought the center’s staff a bouquet of flowers with Lifesaver candies — a thank you for the quick response that saved his life following a March 29 heart stoppage he suffered during a workout at the center.

“We brought the Lifesavers because you guys were my lifesaver,” Klinger told staff members.

That first recovery would have been enough to deal with, but Klinger had only just returned home after being airlifted to Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls on Thursday following a second heart episode.

“A piece of plaque came loose and blocked an artery the first time, but the second one was a full-blown heart attack with intense pain,” Klinger said. “They found out that a stent they inserted the first time had plugged.”

An additional stent fixed things.

Klinger raved about the automated external defibrillator, or AED, that saved his life following the workout incident.

“I advocate that every public building have one of these devices and know how to use them,” Klinger said Monday. “Frankly, I might not be here if this place didn’t have one.”

Recreation Center Director Rob Marchand said his staff used the AED to restore Klinger’s heartbeat while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

“It was a team effort,” Marchand said.

Each device costs around $1,200, and because the defibrillator battery is only for one-time use, it and the shock pads have to be replaced.

Klinger, a regular at the center, was in the weight room doing his morning workout when he collapsed at one of the machines.

Another patron quickly alerted staff and while a 911 call went out, Marchand ran to evaluate Klinger’s condition.

With the help of other people who were working out nearby, Klinger was moved to a firm, flat surface, and Assistant Director Jamie Henkel began CPR while Marchand retrieved the defibrillator.

Henkel was the right person for the job, Marchand said.

“Jamie has been with us about six months, and she had just finished doing CPR training with our lifeguards.” The center’s staff receives regular CPR training from the Mitchell Fire Division, he said.

Henkel quickly put the AED’s paddles on Klinger’s bare chest. The device automatically monitors its subject, and if necessary, administers a shock to restore a regular heartbeat.

It was necessary in Klinger’s case, and the AED shocked him until it got a pulse, Marchand said.

“It shocked him once, and then we found a pulse and he took one huge breath,” Henkel said. “I know I have been sleeping a lot better since I saw his face again.”

Henkel said this was the first time the Medtronic Lifepak defibrillator has been used at the Mitchell Recreation Center since it was installed about five years ago.

“It’s an incredible piece of equipment,” Marchand said.

An artificial electronic voice on the AED tells the user exactly how to proceed and where to place the electronic paddles on the victim’s chest.

“It gives you step-by-step instructions and walks you right through it,” Marchand said.

Klinger wasn’t conscious, but by the time the paramedics rolled him out of the center, the defibrillator had re-established a regular pulse. He was flown to Sioux Falls for further treatment.

Remarkably, Klinger walked into the Rec Center the next Monday, ready for a light workout. That was prior to his second, more serious episode, and Klinger said he was feeling remarkably good.

“It was a pretty emotional experience for all of us when he walked through that door,” Marchand said.

The staff was still mourning the loss of 9-year-old Iszabella “Bella” Morgan, who died March 24 when an allegedly drunken driver trying to elude police ran into the vehicle carrying her. She was a regular visitor at the center and was a student next door at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary.

Klinger’s remarkable recovery gave everyone at the center a much-needed boost, Marchand said.

“We went from one extreme to the other in just about a week.”

Klinger likes to stay busy. A former owner of Business Products Inc. in Mitchell, he still works part-time as a salesman for BPI.

Up until his collapse at the center, he had always enjoyed good health.

“I never had an issue with my heart,” he said. “I had good blood pressure, low cholesterol and since my 40s I worked out at the center five days a week.”

He plans to take it slower until he completes his cardiac rehab program, but he believes his experience can help others.

“For me, all the right people were in the right place at the right time. My goal is to encourage people to get busy and get these AEDs in all their buildings and have someone trained to use them.

“I mean, how do you put a value on human life?”

By Ross Dolan http://www.mitchellrepublic.com The Daily Republic’s Chris Huber contributed to this story.

(Carbondale, CO) If you suffer Cardiac Arrest in the town of Marble, you’ll have a better chance of
survival now that Marble has received its first Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) in a public building.
Marble’s new AED is located in the historic Marble City State Bank building now known as The Marble
Hub.

The Pitkin County Emergency Medical and Trauma Advisory Committee (EMTAC) contributed the AED to
Marble with the help of a grant from the Aspen Community Foundation as part of the “Save a Life Pitkin
County” effort.

Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District Chief Ron Leach floated the idea of getting an AED in Marble
when he heard about the effort to place AEDs in as many public places as possible. Coincidentally, Leach
had been teaching an American Heart Association CPR and first aid class in Marble when the opportunity
to acquire the AED presented itself.

“Pitkin County and Carbondale Fire in Garfield County keep an eye on things in Marble under a mutual
aid agreement with Gunnison County. My hope is we can train as many Marble residents as possible in
CPR and how to use our new AED,” Leach said.

The Hub in Marble where the AED is now located also houses a coffee shop, WiFi, a consignment store,
and artworks by local artists.

“The Hub is probably the most public building in Marble,” said the non profit’s Executive Director,
Charlotte Graham. “It’s open part time in the winter and will be open seven days a week in summer. It’s
the perfect place for the AED,” Graham said.

More information about the “Save a Life Pitkin County” effort is available online at
www.savealifepitkincounty.com.

Local Woman Pays It Forward With Mobile CPR Bus

http://www.ottawasun.com/2011/11/27/local-company-donates-lifesaving-device-to-sun

Local company donates lifesaving device to Sun

Stephen Dinelle misses his daily dose of Earl McRae.

The award-winning Sun columnist died of a heart attack in the newsroom Oct. 15 as he worked away on deadline writing the lead story of the day.

Not a writer himself, Dinelle figured out the perfect way to pay tribute to McRae — something practical, something thoughtful and generous.

A former paramedic, Dinelle is now a salesman and educator with AED Authority — an Ottawa-based supplier of automatic external defibrillators, similar to the more than 700 public access ones supplied by the Ottawa Paramedic Service.

He’s decided to donate one to the Sun in memory of Earl — someone who was a part of his morning routine for as long as he can remember.

“One of those things where I sit down in the morning before going into work and having my cup of coffee, starting off my day with a real good chuckle,” he said. “Earl was notorious for bring us all back to where we needed to be. He had that ability to kind of centre me for the day.”

Together with his partner, Dinelle decided the donation was fitting not only due to Earl’s influence in the community, but also because of how he died.

“I think this community needs to reach out to the Sun and say — you know what — you guys lost one. We need to do something to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” Dinelle said.

The $1,700 defibrillator will arrive sometime in the next few weeks. The company has agreed to train staff on how to use it and help choose the best location to keep it.

Twitter: @DougHempstead

Some facts about automatic external defibrillators:

• Automatic external defibrillators helped bystanders save four lives in the past week
• The cost of the units has dropped dramatically in the past few years. A unit for the home runs around $1,100 and one for an office or public facility is around $1,700.
• There are more than 700 public-access AEDs in the city monitored by the Ottawa Paramedic Service — about 100 more in private buildings.
• Sudden cardiac arrest is more common than car crashes, breast cancer, prostate cancer and house fires
• The survival rate of SCA if treated with immediate medical attention including defibrillation is upwards of 90%. That rate decreases by about 10% each minute.
• An estimated 95% of SCA victims die before reaching hospital.
• Survival rate of an SCA victim without medical intervention is only 5%
• Ottawa paramedics train about 12,000 people each year in how to use AEDs and how to do CPR
• Since they opened for business in March, AED Authority has sold 60 units in Ottawa
• The key elements in the chain of survival are calling 911 followed by good, early CPR and AED. CPR gets blood flowing to the brain while an AED re-established the heart rhythm.

— Doug Hempstead