Cardiac Arrest Survival Legislation Passes Congress: American Red Cross Applauds

World Leader in Health and Safety Training Commends Efforts To Place Automated External Defibrillators in Federal Buildings

Website: http://www.redcross.org/hss/workplace/aid.html.

 WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2000 -- Congress today passed the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act directing the creation of guidelines to place Automated External Defibrillators in all federal buildings to combat Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), the leading killer of adults in America. With more than one million federal employees working in federal office buildings across the country, this measure will dramatically expand public access to defibrillation in the workplace.

The American Red Cross, a leading trainer in AEDs nationally, is a strong advocate for public access defibrillation because as many as 50,000 deaths could be prevented each year through widespread deployment of AEDs in public places such as large office buildings, airports, shopping malls, golf courses and sports stadiums.

"Sudden cardiac arrest is responsible for too many needless deaths. Thousands of lives can be saved each year if people are trained to use an automated external defibrillator as an adjunct to CPR," said American Red Cross president and CEO Dr. Bernadine Healy. "That's why the Red Cross offers AED training with our standard first aid training. The American Red Cross provides lifesaving training to give people the skills and confidence they need to respond effectively in emergencies."

A stopped heart can only be restarted by defibrillation. Unlike a heart attack, in which blood flow to the heart muscle is temporarily blocked, the primary cause of SCA is ventricular fibrillation, a life-threatening condition in which the heart's normal electrical signals become disorganized and erratic, causing the heart to cease pumping blood effectively. Defibrillation, or restoring the heart's natural rhythm by applying an electrical shock, is the only definitive treatment for SCA. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) combined with immediate defibrillation is critical because the chance of survival decreases by approximately 10 percent each minute treatment is delayed. The current SCA survival rate in the United States is only about 5 percent, largely because CPR and defibrillators are not used in time. According to medical studies, AEDs are extremely safe, effective and easy to use.

The Act also extends Good Samaritan protections to AED users and the owners of devices in those states that do not currently have AED Good Samaritan protections. This protection will help encourage lay persons to respond in a cardiac emergency by using an AED.

"This legislation will place our national government in the forefront of combating sudden cardiac arrest and saving lives," said Congressman Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) who is one of the sponsors of this bill.  "I want to set an example at the federal level for the public and private sectors to follow," he added.  Senator Slade Gorton (R -WA), also a sponsor of this bill, said "I am delighted to help people get access to this new technology that was created to save lives."

In 1999, the American Red Cross made Adult CPR/AED training available to the 150 million Americans who go to work each day. Through its Workplace Training program, the Red Cross has trained more than 5,000 people to use AEDs. The American Red Cross also trains more than 8,000 professional rescuers in AED skills each year.

The American Red Cross Workplace Training program ensures non-professional rescuers are prepared with the skills and equipment to save a life. The AED training is integrated into the 4.5-hour Adult CPR/AED course. This course meets OSHA requirements and is available through local Red Cross chapters. Standard First Aid with the AED course is also offered by the Red Cross for businesses.  Both AED courses can be adapted for community courses taught in American Red Cross chapters. Contact your local American Red Cross chapter for more information or visit us at http://www.redcross.org/hss/workplace/aid.html.

 The American Red Cross is dedicated to helping make families and communities safer at home and around the world. A humanitarian service organization currently operating on a budget of $2.7 billion, the American Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to the victims of more than 63,000 disasters nationwide and has been the primary supplier of lifesaving blood and blood products in the United States for more than 50 years. The American Red Cross also trains more than 11.7 million people in vital lifesaving skills, provides direct health services to 2.5 million people, provides more than 24 million locally relevant community services, assists international disaster and conflict victims in more than 50 countries, and transmits nearly 1.4 million emergency messages between members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Dr. Bernadine Healy is president and CEO of the American Red Cross.