When it comes to the various causes for accidental death all over the world, drowning in swimming pools tends to be on the top. Majority of the victims involved happen to be children with ages between 1 and 4 years old. In the case of adult victims, however, most of them drowned because of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) while within the pool. In majority of the latter cases, the death could have been prevented if there was an AED on hand that can help normalize and even “jump start” the rhythm of the heart.
An AED, or more commonly known as the Automated External Defibrillator, is a portable device that is typically used in order to detect the rhythm of the heart beat. As a defibrillator, it is helpful in normalizing the beating of the heart, especially for patients suffering from ventricular arrhythmia. It is usually battery-operated and comes in a kit complete with scissors, the unit, the pads, and the instructions. Most models come with visual instructions as well as voice prompts that help guide the user on what to do. What this device does is send electrical shocks to the heart in order to “jolt” the latter into normal beating pattern. This is particularly important in the case of SCA incidents as death can occur within minutes if the victim is not treated properly.
Unfortunately, an AED is not something that is readily available to people or institutions with very little budget. In most cases, a unit of AED could cause a lot with some even amounting to more than $3,000. That does not include the annual fees that you have to pay just to ensure that the AED is running properly. That being the case, it is quite rare to find a public swimming pool that actually has more than one AED device. Some even have none. The dangerous part is, most local swimming pools are required to have an AED on hand. So how to go around this?
One foundation was able to come up with a way to deal with the need for AED – hold a fundraising program where the proceeds would be used in order to buy AEDs for qualified public swimming pools. Hosted by the Connor Cares Foundation, the said fundraising event would be held this coming September a5, 7:00 pm at the J. King’s Restaurant located at Gambrills. Tickets to the event is set at $20.00 each. The price is not bad considering the price of the AED in the market today.
The Connor Cares Foundation was put up in order to honor the memory of Connor Freed, a 5-year drowning victim who lost his life last 2006.
Of course, having an AED is not enough. If you come face to face with danger, you also have to know how and when to make use of it as well as how to perform a CPR. If you would like to familiarize yourself with how an AED is used, check out Citywide CPR and its AED Program Management.
