7.6. SR 12-16-1996 - Laserfiche WebLink

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more automatic features. .another attractive .Feature That the o~cers liked was that the batteries only required recharg- ing once a month. They agreed to place four of these devices in our squads for the next year, bring- ing our total deployment to twelve. By July of 1995 the sur- vival rate for patients whose hearts were in a treatable condi- tion and who received defibrilla- tion initially from police officers, had risen to 58 percent (18 of 31 patients, 13 of whom regained pulses after shocks only). These data are published in the November 1996 issue of the med- ical journal Annals of Emergency Medicine. What lies ahead? Over the past year, some of us involved with this program have spent some fair amount of time working with yet another com- pany that has developed an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). This company, HeartStream, also from Seattle, has developed a unit called the ForeRunner. It is a biphasic AED, meaning that it uses a The ForeRunner by HeartStream. 6 THE MINNESOTA POLICE JOURNAL waveform previously reserved for medically implanted internal defibrillators used for victims of prior cardiac arrest. The device received Food & Drug Administration approval in mid- September for marketing in the United States. Again, more downsizing and weight reduction are evident in this A.ED, and its operational features are all but totally auto- matic. The device is about the size of a '~By the beginning of the twenty- first century, a majority of law enforcement agencies in this country will have seen the benefits to be gained by adding these devices to their inventory of equipment necessary to best serve their community." hardcover book and weighs only four pounds. It features a dispos- able, yet recyclable lithium bat- tery pack that can deliver up to 100 shocks and has an expected standby life of approximately one year. Other available features include clear and concise voice prompts that walk the user through each step of the process, and an electrocardiograph (ECG) screen that shows the user the heart rhythm throughout the process. These units are expected to cost in the range of $3500.00 to $3800.00 depending on extra features desired. HeartStream will be placing 12 of these units in Rochester P.D. squad cars for field testing beginning in mid- November. If this first six years of experi- ence is any indication of what the future may hold, we can probably expect th AED to become even smaller, lighter and less expen- sive in years to come. In terms of its ability to offer the hope of survival to so many more victims of the num- ber one killer in the United States, the price is already incredibly low. There is very little doubt in our minds that, by the beginning of the twenty-first century, a majority of law enforcement agencies in this country will have seen the benefits to be gained by adding these devices to their inventory of equipment nec- essary to best serve their com- munity. With our project receiv- ing national attention via televi- sion network exposure, the word is now spreading rapidly. In addition, through the on-going efforts of the American Heart Association and concerned pro- fessionals like Dr. Roger White, we will likely begin seeing more and more of these AED units in places where lives can be saved. These locations might include apartment complexes, retirement homes, sports complexes, shop- ping malls, airplanes and air- ports, just to name a few. Anyone desiring additional information about our experience in the use of the AED is encour- aged to direct your inquiry to: John Sibley, Rochester Police Department, 101 - 4th Street S.E., Rochester, MN 55904-3761, or call 507-285-8262.