What is an AED?
 AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator. An AED is the only medical device known for the definitive treatment of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is the chaotic, electrical activity in the heart that causes most sudden cardiac arrests (SCA)s.
An AED can stop the chaotic heart rhythm by delivering an electrical current through the heart. This high-energy shock is the only treatment for ventricular fibrillation (VF). A successful defibrillation shock can allow the normal electrical activity and blood-pumping functions of the heart to resume. AEDs are designed for use by anyone who has completed a short course (usually about four hours) that covers both AED use and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
The device is only about the size of a thick, hard-covered book, weighs about 7 pounds, and has two pads that are placed on the patient's chest. The device literally talks users through the steps to evaluate and shock the patient. It will only deliver a shock if its sensors show it to be necessary. AEDs are very accurate and will not deliver a shock to anyone not in cardiac arrest.
When used properly and with appropriate precautions, AEDs pose no risk to either the patient or to the rescuer. Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), which kills 450,000 people in the U.S. each year, can strike anyone. Even a seemingly healthy person can suffer cardiac arrest without warning and death can occur instantly or shortly after the onset of symptoms. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the only definitive treatment for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a defibrillation shock, which restores a normal heart rhythm. The chance of a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) victim surviving decreases by ten percent with every minute that passes.
There is a very good chance that emergency medical services (EMS) cannot respond fast enough to save someone in cardiac arrest, particularly in rural areas that have volunteer fire departments, large urban congested areas, high-rise buildings or in large facilities. In fact, the national average response time is 10-12 minutes, so even the best EMS responders could have difficulty arriving in time. Besides contending with traffic or weather, they also need to make it through building security to the victim.
Therefore, from what you have learned from the previous two paragraphs about the ten per cent decrease for every minute delay, and the fact that the average response time is 10-12 minutes, you can see why the United States average survival rate from SCA is a dismal five per cent. By having an AED available for use at your facility, you can increase your employee or visitors chances of survival from 5% all the way to 90%.
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What is Cardiac Arrest?
Cardiac arrest is the sudden, abrupt loss of heart function. The victim may or may not have diagnosed heart disease. It's also called SCA (sudden cardiac arrest) or unexpected cardiac arrest. Sudden death (also called sudden cardiac death) occurs within minutes after symptoms appear. The most common underlying reason for patients to die suddenly from cardiac arrest is coronary heart disease.
All known heart diseases can lead to cardiac arrest and sudden death. Most of the cardiac arrests that lead to sudden death occur when the electrical impulses in the diseased heart become rapid (ventricular tachycardia) (ven-TRIK'u-ler tak"eh-KAR'de-ah) or chaotic (ventricular fibrillation) (fib"rih-LA'shun) or both. This irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) (ah-RITH'me-ah) causes the heart to stop beating suddenly.
Some cardiac arrests are due to extreme slowing of the heart (bradycardia) (brad"e-KAR'de-ah). Other factors besides heart disease and heart attack can cause cardiac arrest. They include respiratory arrest, electrocution, drowning, choking and trauma. Cardiac arrest can also occur without any known cause.
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Can Cardiac Arrest Be Reversed?
Brain death and permanent death start to occur in just 4 to 6 minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest can be reversed in most victims if it's treated within a few minutes with an electric shock to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat.
This process is called defibrillation (de-fib"rih-LA'shun). A victims chances of survival are reduced by 7 to 10 percent with every minute that passes. Few attempts at resuscitation succeed after 10 minutes.
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How many people survive Cardiac Arrest?
No statistics are available for the exact number of cardiac arrests that occur each year. It's estimated that more than 95 percent of cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital. In cities where defibrillation is provided within 5 to 7 minutes, the survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest is as high as 49 percent.
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What can be done to increase the survival rate?
Early CPR and rapid defibrillation combined with early advanced care can result in high long-term survival rates for witnessed cardiac arrest. In one case, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) were mounted 1 minute apart in plain view at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports in June 1999. In the first 10 months, 14 cardiac arrests occurred with 12 of the 14 victims in ventricular fibrillation. Nine of the 14 victims (64 percent) were revived with an AED and had no brain damage.
If bystander CPR was initiated more consistently, if AEDs were more widely available, and if every community could achieve a 20 percent cardiac arrest survival rate, an estimated 40,000 lives could be saved each year. Death from sudden cardiac arrest is not inevitable. If more people react quickly by calling 9-1-1 and performing CPR, more lives can be saved.
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What is the catch?
How can EMS-TV, Inc. equip, train, manage and insure an effective AED program?
We can offer this tremendous program because we enlist the financial assistance of corporate sponsors. Our Emergency Medical Stations are designed so that on top of providing our customers with a fully compliant PAD (Public Access Defibrillation) program, and an emergency medical assistance and 911 notification system, the Emergency Medical Station is equipped with an 17” LCD screen which plays a ten minute program 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
This program consists of:
40% Sponsor Displays
20% Placement Location Displays
15% Public Announcement and/or Information
10% Community Information and/or Bulletins
5% Local Weather Forecasts
5% Trivia/Entertainment
5% Stock market/Financial Reports
Our programming will interrupt to display Weather alerts, Amber alerts, and Department of Homeland Security threat level increases or decreases.
It is through the financial assistance of our corporate sponsors that we are able to provide you these wonderful systems, at absolutely no cost to you.
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What are the placement locations obligations?
Each location we place an Emergency Medical Station at has the following 2 obligations:
1. To sign a 60-month School/Commercial Lease Agreement, which covers the placement of each Emergency Medical Station.
2. To Provide, standard 110-volt service.
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What about advertising content and control?
Schools:
For all our Emergency Medical Stations, which are located in schools, we have special advertising controls. We automatically “lock out” several categories of advertisers whose products we do not feel belong in schools. An example of advertisements “locked out” would be tobacco, alcohol, political, adult content, and religious ads. Of course for parochial schools which are owned or operated by religious organizations, religious ads would be allowed for that specific religious organization.
All our Emergency Medical Stations, which are located in schools will be subject to the terms of our Commercial Lease Agreement which states: “Tenant shall have the right to place on the Leased Premises, at locations selected by Tenant, any signs, including full motion video with audio, which are permitted by applicable zoning ordinances. School may refuse consent to the display of any signage that is in Schools' opinion is deceptive, unattractive, inappropriate, or in direct competition to products sold by the School. School shall assist and cooperate with Tenant in obtaining any necessary permission from governmental authorities or adjoining owners and occupants for Tenant to place or construct the foregoing signs. Tenant shall repair all damage to the Leased Premises resulting from the removal of signs installed by Tenant.”
The schools retain the right to refuse any advertisement the school feels is inappropriate. Many schools also choose to implement their own “locked out” categories. EMS-TV, Inc will honor any restrictions the school implements or requests.
Retail and Commercial:
For all our Emergency Medical Stations, which are located in retail or commercial locations will be subject to the terms of our Commercial Lease Agreement which states: “Tenant shall have the right to place on the Leased Premises, at locations selected by Tenant, any signs, including full motion video with audio, which are permitted by applicable zoning ordinances. Landlord may refuse consent to the display of any signage that is in Landlord's opinion is deceptive, unattractive, inappropriate, or in direct competition to products sold by the Landlord. Landlord shall assist and cooperate with Tenant in obtaining any necessary permission from governmental authorities or adjoining owners and occupants for Tenant to place or construct the foregoing signs. Tenant shall repair all damage to the Leased Premises resulting from the removal of signs installed by Tenant.”
The landlord retains the full right to refuse any advertisement the landlord feels is inappropriate. Many landlords also choose to implement their own “locked out” categories. EMS-TV, Inc will honor any restrictions the landlord implements or requests.
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Because AEDs can increase survivability so drastically, AEDs are now considered by the courts to be the national “Standard of Care”. Therefore companies, schools and organizations who fail to exercise what is the “Standard of Care” are increasingly being successfully sued for millions of dollars. OSHA, Hartford Insurance, Trade Associations, and state and federal governments are encouraging, and in some cases mandating that companies, schools and organizations implement effective AED programs.
The federal government, and all fifty states, currently have Good Samaritan laws in effect which provide immunity from AED liability.
Companies, schools, and organizations realize that:
“THE LIABILITY IN AED PROGRAMS IS NOT IN THE PROGRAM, BUT IN THE FAILURE TO HAVE A PROGRAM”.
Companies, schools, and organizations currently have basically three choices:
(1) Ignore the need to exercise what courts have ruled is the "Standard of Care” for their customers and employees, and face millions of dollars in liability,
(2) Implement an AED program themselves and spend the large amount of money it will initially cost, and then the large amount of money for years to come, and still face millions of dollars in liability if the AED program is not properly implemented and/or managed, or
(3) Allow EMS-TV, Inc. to implement an effective AED program, train their employees, manage the program, assume 100% of the liability, absorb the total cost of the program and increase their sales.
Liability for the location where an Emergency Medical Station is located is addressed virtually eliminated thru the following means:
1. Federal and State Good Samaritan Laws provide immunity from liability for the rescuer, and for the provider of an AED.
2. EMS-TV, Inc carries $10,000,000 in General as well as Professional Liability insurance.
3. EMS-TV, Inc. also provides a separate $10,000,000 general liability insurance policy carrying the location where the Emergency Medical Station is located as an additional insured.
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