Campus defibrillators help save lives

The University has taken a major step toward reducing the risk of campus deaths from sudden cardiac arrest by providing nine additional automated external defibrillators (AEDs). The devices will be placed around campus beginning today (Feb. 24), and training in their use is being given, according to Kim Miller, director of Risk Management and a member of the Oversight Committee for the devices. BGSU already had defibrillators in place at the Student Health Center and Forrest Creason Golf Course.

Every year, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) claims the lives of at least 250,000 people in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. In SCA, the heart goes into an abnormal, quivering rhythm and is unable to pump blood through the body. The only known treatment for this arrhythmia is the use of a defibrillator, which delivers a powerful shock that allows the heart to resume its normal beating pattern. Survival rates for SCA are less than 10 percent when defibrillation is delayed 10 minutes or more. The ideal response time is four minutes or less.

Bowling Green’s plan calls for there to be two trained persons working in each of the spots where the AEDs are located. Each location has designated an AED coordinator who will be responsible for maintaining and storing the device. About the size of an office telephone, the devices operate on long-life batteries, Miller said.

Dr. Josh Kaplan, director of the Student Health Service, is medical director for the program and wrote the campus protocol that requires users of the devices to be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), with a special segment of AED training.

“The American Heart Association has developed a HeartSaver AED course that integrates CPR and AED training in four-hour course. This course is being offered to those individuals without prior training identified at the campus locations earmarked to receive the devices,” Miller said, noting that AEDs have become widely available in schools, shopping malls, airports and other public places.

BGSU’s devices are located in: Anderson Arena; Doyt Perry Stadium; the Ice Arena; three University police cruisers; the Student Recreation Center; the Student Health Center; Bowen-Thompson Student Union; Perry Field House; Forrest Creason Golf Course clubhouse, and Hayes Hall.

Unlike defibrillators designed for use by health-care professions, AEDs do not require extensive medical knowledge to understand or operate. When opened for use, they provide voice prompts to the user. AEDS are programmed to analyze the heart’s electrical function. If no irregular rhythm is detected, the device will not deliver a shock.

A University committee has been working for more than a year to procure funding for the devices, which cost about $2,500 each, and developing a campus plan for their deployment and use. The AEDs are paid for from the University’s general fund, Miller said.

From the larger committee, which included James Elsasser, assistant athletics director, and Richard Bowers, director of recreational sports, the Oversight Committee was formed. Its members are Kaplan, Miller, Heather Lorenz, environmental health and safety, and James Wiegand, director of public safety. In addition to other responsibilities, they will conduct a debriefing of all employees involved following an incident and will provide for follow-up psychological counseling when needed.

To view an on-line demonstration of the Medtronic defibrillator, which the University has purchased, visit www.early-defib.org. At the main page, click on “AED Program Information,” then “AED Demo.”