Your Guide to Putting a Heart Safe AED Program in Place

Click below to download a copy of our AED Implememtation Guide for 2008: eMED AED Implementation Program (Web).pdf 

By placing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in key locations where people work, live or play, you can help give anyone struck down by sudden cardia arrest another chance at life.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) can happen anywhere, anytime — to people of all ages. SCA is usually caused by an electrical malfunction that makes the heart quiver ineffectively in an abnormal rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF). It sometimes is triggered by a heart attack, but can also happen even without any blockage of blood flow to the heart. A lifesaving pulse of electricity must be delivered quickly to restore the heart's normal rhythm and pump blood throught the body. Defibrillation is the only effective treatment for sudden cardiac arrest caused by VF.

Time is of the essence. Typically, only 5 to 10 percent of people struck down by SCA survive. But if people in VF get the lifesaving AED shock within 3 minutes of collapsing, the survival rate can increase to 74 percent.¹

As you can see, placing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in key locations, and making sure people are trained to use them, can mean the difference between life and death. Office buildings, golf courses, high-rise apartment buildings, community centers, airports, manufacturing plants, schools and shopping malls are all being equipped with lifesaving AEDs.

No two facilities or organizations will implement an AED program in exactly the same way. To help ensure success, assign a project manager and tailor a program that works for your situation. Be sure to cover these bases:

Get Ready:
                      •   Assign a project manager
                      •   Gain consensus among stakeholders
                      •   Review federal, state and local laws and regulations
                      •   Consult local emergency medical services
                      •   Identify your response team

Get Set:
                      •   Arrange for medical direction
                      •   Choose equipment and vendor
                      •   Design policies and procedures — and keep improving them
                      •   Train response team and plan for refresher training
                      •   Assess how many AEDs you'll need and where to place them 
                      •   Develop a budget (equipment, training, promotion
                      •   Have your legal counsel review your program

Go:
                      •   Purchase and deploy AEDs and other supplies
                      •   Promote your program
                      •   Follow your quality assurance plan for people, equipment and
                          procedures


Contact eMED today for assistance in implementing your AED Program.

Corporate Offices:
1200 Barrow Road, Suite 211
Little Rock, Arkansas 72205
Office: (501) 223-5157
Toll Free: (866) 327-EMED(3633)
Facsimile: (877) 329-EMED (3633)
E-mail: info@emedamerica.com

¹   Valenzuela, T.D., et al 2000. Outcomes of rapid defibrillation by security offers after cardiac arrest in casinos. New England Jornal of Medicine; 343: 1206-09