June 1—7, 2008 is CPR and AED Awareness Week

BINGHAMTON, NY - June 1—7, 2008, marks the first national Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Awareness Week. In December 2007 Congress set aside the first week of June to draw people's attention to how training in CPR and the use of an AED can save lives.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is not a condition of aging; it can happen to anyone at any time, young or old. Each year 166,000 people in America die from SCA, a condition of the heart that causes the electrical impulses of the heart to beat rapidly or chaotically, causing the heart to stop beating. Last year, Emergency Medical Services agencies in Broome County responded to 270 out-of-hospital calls for victims of SCA; of these, 211 occurred in the home.

When effective bystander CPR is administered immediately after cardiac arrest, it can double or triple the victim's chance of survival. However, according to the American Heart Association, less than one-third of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR.

AEDs are equally effective in saving the lives of victims of SCA. An AED is a device that delivers an electrical shock to the heart to help restore cardiac rhythm and help resuscitate a victim of SCA. “There are presently 111 organizations in Broome County that have registered Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) programs, which provide AEDs and persons trained in their use, to respond immediately in cases of SCA. We would very much like to see the number of such organizations in Broome County continue to increase,” said Ray Serowik, Broome County Emergency Medical Services Coordinator.

“Increasing the number of AEDs and the number of people trained in CPR and AED use can save the life of someone who is a victim of SCA. I encourage all Broome County residents to become trained today!” said Claudia Edwards, Public Health Director for the Broome County Health Department.

Remember, when somebody goes into cardiac arrest, every minute counts. CPR/AED training is inexpensive, straightforward and widely available. To find out how you can register for CPR/AED training, visit one of the following websites:

American Red Cross: www.redcross.org

American Heart Association: www.americanheart.org

American Safety and Health Institute: www.ashinstitute.org

National Safety Council: www.nsc.org

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Published Date: 06-04-2008