More Healthy Jolts to the Heart
More Healthy Jolts to the Heart
May 22, 2000 (Washington) -- What do Las Vegas casinos have in common with Chicago's O'Hare airport? Loads of people and commotion, of course, and the life-saving presence of automated external defibrillators. And look for more of these defibrillators coming to airplanes, federal government buildings, and other places near you.
The $3,500 laptop-computer sized devices can jolt a heart back into its normal rhythm, stopping sudden cardiac arrest, one of the nation's huge killers.
Cardiac arrest is responsible for the deaths of more than 600 Americans each day. An arrest occurs suddenly, when the heart loses a regular rhythm. It differs from a heart attack, in which blood flow to the heart is blocked, often with some warning.
If cardiac arrest victims receive a shock from a defibrillator within a minute, their odds of revival are as high as 90%. But if the victim must wait 10 minutes, odds drop to less than 10%.
Since the devices were installed in Las Vegas' casinos and hotels, cardiac arrest survival there has jumped from 14% to 57%. In O'Hare airport, the devices saved nine of 11 people with cardiac arrest in the first six months of their use. And President Clinton recounted on Saturday that a defibrillator, just acquired in 1999, saved a White House visitor's life earlier this month.
Tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to overwhelmingly approve legislation from Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) that would exempt "Good Samaritans" from lawsuits when they use the devices to try to save the life of another. The Senate has already acted, approving similar legislation from Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) last November.
The threat of being sued may be stifling greater use of defibrillators. "These devices have not been widely adopted because of perceived liability exposure by potential users," noted Rep. Thomas Bliley (R-Va.).
President Clinton endorsed the bill Saturday -- and announced a proposal requiring that most commercial U.S. airlines carry a defibrillator on each flight. The new rule would apply to flights with at least one flight attendant.
Eight of the nation's major carriers already have programs in place or in the works, as do six regional airlines. American Airlines said that 11 passengers have been saved since it started installing the devices in its planes in July 1997.
More Healthy Jolts to the Heart
May 22, 2000 (Washington) -- What do Las Vegas casinos have in common with Chicago's O'Hare airport? Loads of people and commotion, of course, and the life-saving presence of automated external defibrillators. And look for more of these defibrillators coming to airplanes, federal government buildings, and other places near you.
The $3,500 laptop-computer sized devices can jolt a heart back into its normal rhythm, stopping sudden cardiac arrest, one of the nation's huge killers.
Cardiac arrest is responsible for the deaths of more than 600 Americans each day. An arrest occurs suddenly, when the heart loses a regular rhythm. It differs from a heart attack, in which blood flow to the heart is blocked, often with some warning.
If cardiac arrest victims receive a shock from a defibrillator within a minute, their odds of revival are as high as 90%. But if the victim must wait 10 minutes, odds drop to less than 10%.
Since the devices were installed in Las Vegas' casinos and hotels, cardiac arrest survival there has jumped from 14% to 57%. In O'Hare airport, the devices saved nine of 11 people with cardiac arrest in the first six months of their use. And President Clinton recounted on Saturday that a defibrillator, just acquired in 1999, saved a White House visitor's life earlier this month.
Tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to overwhelmingly approve legislation from Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) that would exempt "Good Samaritans" from lawsuits when they use the devices to try to save the life of another. The Senate has already acted, approving similar legislation from Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) last November.
The threat of being sued may be stifling greater use of defibrillators. "These devices have not been widely adopted because of perceived liability exposure by potential users," noted Rep. Thomas Bliley (R-Va.).
President Clinton endorsed the bill Saturday -- and announced a proposal requiring that most commercial U.S. airlines carry a defibrillator on each flight. The new rule would apply to flights with at least one flight attendant.
Eight of the nation's major carriers already have programs in place or in the works, as do six regional airlines. American Airlines said that 11 passengers have been saved since it started installing the devices in its planes in July 1997.