News and information for staff members and the Madison community
Vol. I No. 1 - November 18, 2005
Thanks to a $100,000 lead gift by Jack Lussier, MMSD has Automated External Defibrillators, or AEDs, in all schools and district buildings. The installation of 78 units was completed by Building Services in April 2005.
Sudden cardiac arrest remains the number one killer among adults in the United States, killing 250,000 Americans every year. CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, can help sustain the blood flow to the vital organs, but unless the normal heartbeat is restored within 5-7 minutes, the victim most likely will die. Every year young people, most often high school athletes, die as a result of a cardiac arrest. Usually these deaths occur as a result of undetected cardiac anomalies and usually there are no symptoms prior to the cardiac arrest.
Today recent advances in technology have given rise to a new generation of defibrillators that are smaller, lighter, more affordable and easy to use. The sooner a victim of an uncontrollable heart beat can be shocked, the better the chance of survival. In fact, for every minute an AED's shock is delayed, the chance of survival reduces by 10%.
Training to effectively use AEDs is available through the American Heart Association's basic Heartsaver AED course. It teaches participants when to call 911, how to perform CPR, how to use the AED and how to help a choking person.
Heartsaver AED with Pediatrics covers the same areas, but an additional hour is offered to provide training for children under age 8. School employees who have already taken the training have described it as "awesome" and "fun" and report that they are "confident" in their ability to use an AED if necessary.
Certification in Heartsaver AED is for a two-year period. District wide Heartsaver AED training is currently being offered at various schools on a weekly basis. For more information regarding setting up training in your school, please contact Cindy Bremser at cbremser@madison.k12.wi.us.
Last Updated: Tue Mar 28 12:17:50 2006
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