Medtronic, the world's leading medical technology company, announced that it is launching a nationwide campaign titled "Let's Keep the Beat" to educate the public about the country's single largest killer - sudden cardiac arrest. The Medtronic "Let's Keep the Beat" tour, featuring a 34-foot mobile classroom, kicked-off the campaign yesterday in Pittsburgh.
"We will offer free education events in an effort to empower communities to increase access to defibrillation to better treat sudden cardiac arrest," said Robert White, president of Medtronic's Emergency Response Systems business unit. "Beyond public education about this killer, we will provide CPR/Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training to as many as 1,000 people, including at least 100 in each city on the tour."
Different than a heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest is usually caused by an electrical malfunction of the heart called ventricular fibrillation. This condition is an ineffective quivering of the heart muscle that makes it unable to pump blood through the body. Once the blood stops circulating, a person quickly loses consciousness and the ability to breathe. Defibrillation - either through an external or implanted device - is the only definitive treatment for this condition. The American Heart Association estimates that up to 450,000 Americans die each year from sudden cardiac arrest. It's the nation's single largest killer and claims more lives than breast cancer, lung cancer and AIDS combined. Those who survive a sudden cardiac arrest episode are at greater risk for suffering another episode and should consult a cardiologist or electrophysiologist to discuss possible treatment options.
In addition to the May 11 stop in Pittsburgh, the tour will also stop in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, Mo., Lincoln, Neb., Des Moines, Iowa, Minneapolis, and Sioux Falls, S.D. The tour concludes on May 24 in Seattle as a prelude to the fourth annual Heart Save Awareness Conference. The conference, set for May 25 through May 27, will provide community leaders with an in-depth understanding on how to start and run an effective public access to defibrillation program.
The centerpiece of the "Let's Keep the Beat" tour is a 34-foot mobile CPR/AED training unit. The unit is equipped with a slide-out area that can expand six feet to host up to 10 people in a CPR/AED training session as they work on 10 manikins simultaneously.
Today, out-of-hospital survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest are about 5 per cent, yet recent studies show that up to 70 per cent of victims survive when AEDs are accessible and used within three to four minutes. The average response time to a 911 call is six to 12 minutes. To purchase an AED, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that the purchaser consult a physician and secure a prescription for the device. Medtronic recommends all AED users attend formal CPR/AED training provided by a nationally recognized training center.