Paramedics hope AED, CPR education grows locally
By Riley Funk
Paramedics are highlighting the benefits of being prepared and trained in the event of a cardiac arrest situation or medical emergency.
A little over a year ago, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac event a little more than a year ago, putting the use of AEDs and CPR on the world stage. Hamlin collapsed due to a hit to the chest during a tackle in a matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, Hamlin has returned to play for the Bills after appearing in five games so far in the 2023 season.
Paramedics in St. Joseph said while the incident was unfortunate, it brought about the importance of AED usage and CPR. They say the quick response time was critical in saving Hamlin’s life.
”When somebody is having a cardiac event, that is one of those medical events that is very, very time sensitive,” said Andrew King, a paramedic with Buchanan County EMS. “Every aid is a little bit different, they ultimately work the same … When you get that AED on a patient within two minutes of the initial dysrhythmia, their chance of survival with a positive outcome goes up to almost 80%. Whereas for every minute that you wait, that chance of survival goes down significantly.”
Residents can be proactive when a cardiac arrest event happens by finding AEDs in town through the help of the app PulsePoint AED.
The apps allows users to locate any AED that has been registered in the Buchanan County area and across the country. It helps first responders because it can help give a victim treatment while EMS is in route.
”We can only do our job as well as we can, but there are times where it’s just going to take us a minute or two to get to you. If we can implement technology to help better the outcome of the patient, that’s all we care about at the end of the day,” King said.
For those that haven’t been CPR certified, Buchanan County EMS dispatchers can talk a person through hands-only CPR and AED use over the phone when they call 911. But in any situation, people can go through a checklist to administer treatments for those in a cardiac arrest situation.
”Check to see if they’re awake, feel to see if you feel any breathing and listen to see if you hear any air movement,” King said.
If a person isn’t responding, they need to start compressions.
”Approximately 100 to 120 times a minute, center of the chest both hands, about a third of the depth of chest or approximately two inches on an adult and just go to town with CPR,” King said.
According to the PulsePoint app, there are over 150 AEDs located in various places in the Buchanan County area. Once a person finds the device, there are easy instructions that users can follow while tending to a patient.
The PuslePoint app is available for free download on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
