More than 200,000 Americans die of sudden cardiac arrest each year, according to the American Heart Association. A 19-year-old man who collapsed this week at the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA did not become a part of those statistics, thanks to quick intervention by Y staff members and the presence of a small electrical device that goes by the initials “AED.”
That stands for automated external defibrillator, and the portable machines that deliver an electrical jolt to restore the heart’s rhythm have been credited with saving hundreds of thousands of lives around the world. Initially developed primarily for use by hospitals and emergency workers, they’ve become much more prevalent and simple to use in recent years. In addition to finding defibrillators among emergency response teams and at local Ys, all middle and high schools in the Rowan-Salisbury system have the devices on hand, thanks to a grant from the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation, Inc.
Young people in general are at much lower risk of catastrophic cardiac failure than older adults, but the collapse of Travis Michael Correll during a basketball game at the Y shows that young people aren’t immune to such incidents. In fact, because of several instances in which young athletes have collapsed during practices or competitions, national attention to the need for defibrillators at schools has grown. Last year, Congress passed a bill creating a national grant program through the Department of Education to fund the installation of AEDs in schools and provide training for their use. The devices typically cost between $1,000 and $1,500, and it’s money well spent.
Traditional cardiopulmonary resuscitation also saves lives, and the Y staff administered that to the stricken teen as well. But medical experts say defibrillators offer a much higher rate of survival for cardiac victims. That’s largely because the lapse of time before restoration of a normal heartbeat is so critical. A recent study by Johns Hopkins University found evidence that more than 500 lives could be saved annually in the United States and Canada by the widespread placement of AEDs, and the AHA puts the potential for saving lives much higher ó including perhaps a quarter of cardiac-arrest deaths.
The incident at the Y offers a dramatic illustration to flesh out the statistics. This story most likely would have had a much different ending if not for the actions of a well-trained Y staff and the availability of a device that’s about the size of a purse and packs a life-saving punch.