What is America's life saving protocol?

October 1, 2004 Save A Life Foundation

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At the onset of cardiac arrest, a condition where the heart begins quivering in the victim's chest rather than pumping blood efficiently, the shock by an Automatic External Defibulator (AED) has been the only proven method of restarting someone's heart after it falls into this erratic condition. With intermittent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) between shocks, the odds of survival increase significantly. Every minute that passes without defibrillation decreases the victim's likelihood of survival by ten percent. This condition can strike young and old alike, killing even those in excellent physical condition with no warning

The Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act, over the past two years, has allocated an allowance of $25 million to rural areas for the purchase of these units for firefighters and police as part of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Response Act of 2002. In addition, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives recently passed an additional $11 million dollars, with future funding expected in the following years to reach communities nationwide. Devices placed through this program have already saved lives that would otherwise have been lost. Or have they?

December 23, 1999 at 7:15pm Anthony James Lisi, of Melville, New York, called 9-1-1 stating he was experiencing chest pain. The dispatcher assured Mr. Lisi that help was on the way. Within five minutes, a Suffolk County New York police officer, also certified as an emergency medical technician, pushed open Mr. Lisi's front door and found him breathless in the living room. Although the dispatcher's 10-9 (Cardiac Arrest) call should have alerted the responding officer to follow protocol and enter the home with his AED and Oxygen, which each police car is equipped with, this officer chose to first investigate the scene and await the ambulance's arrival. The Melville Fire Department arrived fifteen minutes later, pronouncing Mr. Lisi dead at the scene.

Because death follows within ten minutes of this occurrence, nearly 95 percent of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest victims die. Thus, our legislator had good intentions in reducing this small window lost by on-site firefighters or police officers, who must wait for an AED-equipped ambulance, possibly meaning the difference between life and death.

Questions now arise. Was Mr. Lisi denied his God given right to survive? Each unit's average cost is $3,000, plus an additional yearly fee, which goes toward a training program, instructing police officers and firefighters on proper AED usage methods. Should our Legislators have first investigated the department's protocols before using tens of millions of taxpayer's hard-earned dollars to purchase these units, only to have them gather dust inside a squad car?