AED onboard?

Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

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Oct 19, 2017
7,746
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Gunni said:
And that ladies and gentlemen is why people take on the underappreciated profession of nursing. Service and saving lives. Congratulations Racer. Go buy a lottery ticket and a nice gift for that nurse.
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My wife use to work cardiac step-down. She would come home, riding a huge high of adrenalin whenever they had a code. Once, when attending to a patient, he went into cardiac arrest, just collapsed, and she punched him in the chest. All he knows was his chest hurt from this nurse slugging him with a hard right. After they discharged him, he have her a miniature pair of boxing gloves that she keeps hanging from her rear view-mirror.

- Will (Dragonfly)
 
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capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,773
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Will Gilmore said:
Is that like having a sticker on your car that shows you donate to the state police? Does it actually keep you from getting taxed... ah... fined, taxed, harassed at the customs office, whatever?

- Will (Dragonfly)
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A friend in the Monroe County Sheriff's department gave me a Monroe County Sheriff's department sticker they used to use to identify their personal cars and I was never been pulled over by a police officer no matter how fast I was going, except in California. But in California I was pulled over for my Florida plates, not speeding! CHP said the truck didn't conform to Ca regulations, but I reminded him it was a Fla registered vehicle and Cal had no authority over it unless I moved to Cal and registered it there. Sometimes the thought processes of law enforcement officers befuddles me.
 
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J

JimInPB

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Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
The thing with an AED is that only certain arrhythmia can be reversed with a shock. Unless you have had significant medical training, there is a slim chance that you will be able to determine if a person is in a shock productive condition or not. Shocking someone does not always get things going again. Shocking them can also do damage.
 
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Captain Larry-DH

Captain Larry-DH

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Jun 14, 2010
2,096
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
JimInPB said:
The thing with an AED is that only certain arrhythmia can be reversed with a shock. Unless you have had significant medical training, there is a slim chance that you will be able to determine if a person is in a shock productive condition or not. Shocking someone does not always get things going again. Shocking them can also do damage.
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I’m not an expert, but I am under the impression that after the electrodes are placed the device does an analysis before it shocks, and it directs you (the operator) accordingly. It won’t shock if the situation is not appropriate. Going from memory from the manual. Am I wrong?
 
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BigEasy

BigEasy

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Jun 21, 2004
2,533
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
Larry,
You are absolutely correct. Once the AED pads are placed the AED will analyze the cardiac rhythm and inform you if a shock is indicated. Once the shock is delivered it will continue to analyze and direct the operator to reshock as needed. Definitely do not activate the shock unless directed by the AED. The great thing about these machines is that soon as the unit is powered on, it will direct you step by step on pad placement, rhythm analysis, and the need to shock or not.
 
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J

JimInPB

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Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Captain Larry-DH said:
I’m not an expert, but I am under the impression that after the electrodes are placed the device does an analysis before it shocks, and it directs you (the operator) accordingly. It won’t shock if the situation is not appropriate. Going from memory from the manual. Am I wrong?
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In theory, that is the way that it is supposed to work. In practice, I have seen other outcomes. The last time that my father went face down in the office was an example of one of the other outcomes.
 
Captain Larry-DH

Captain Larry-DH

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Jun 14, 2010
2,096
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
JimInPB said:
In theory, that is the way that it is supposed to work. In practice, I have seen other outcomes. The last time that my father went face down in the office was an example of one of the other outcomes.
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Sorry about your father. Obviously an AED isn’t always a panacea. But I do believe it improves the odds of survival in a broad set of situations. Had there not been an AED present, all else in the situation unchanged- would or could the outcome have been better?
 
njlarry

njlarry

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Sep 23, 2009
1,475
O'Day 34-At Last Rock Hall, Md
AED vs CPR is somewhat of apples and oranges. The AED will analyze the victims heart rhythm automatically, that's the A in AED. In the first 10 minutes there is an incredible 90% success rate that lowers by 10% every minute. Hence the need to have one onboard. AED is only appropriate for a victim with a fibrillating heart. The D of course. AEDs are only for victims who are unresponsive AND have no detected pulse, suspected sudden cardiac arrest, SCA.
CPR is for heart attack victims, chest pain, variable conscious, AND no detectable pulse. An AED applied to a heart attack victim will tell you to begin CPR, not to shock. Unfortunately, the success rate for CPR even in hospital settings is only 10 to 20%. It is under 10% in the field.
Fortunately SCA is more common than heart attack. Given how much we invest in MOB, EPRIPS, life rafts, AIS etc, my orginal question was: might it not make sense to invest in carrying an AED onboard?
BTW, CPR classes are easily available, even online.
 
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WayneH

WayneH

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Jan 22, 2008
1,039
Tartan 37 287 Pensacola, FL
Roland5048 said:
The process has even been streamlined to exclude the breathes. Just pump as before to the beat of "Stayin' Alive".
It can be quite a workout.
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And don't worry about breaking anything. If you do nothing, death happens. If you break a rib, Convalescence happens.

One of my instructors said, "Grandma's dead. But if you keep pumping, she might wake up in the hospital."
 
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Jumpstart

Jumpstart

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Jan 13, 2009
391
J Boat 92 78 Sandusky
Pretty good information here. As a survivor of sudden cardiac arrest I learned a few things. SCA outside of a hospital survival rate is less than 5%. It is critical that you have proper CPR until an AED can be hooked up and used. Fortunately for me, the cardiac nurse practitioner who was a bystander, had great training in CPR. It didn't hurt that she works in the EP department of the Cleveland Clinic. I was dead for 7 minutes before revival with no heart damage or brain damage thanks to the CPR. Thankfully I now have the implanted defibrillator to stop this from happening again.
 
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njlarry

njlarry

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Sep 23, 2009
1,475
O'Day 34-At Last Rock Hall, Md
Glad you survived. Are you looking to get an AED onboard for your crew?
 
chuckwayne

chuckwayne

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Mar 20, 2004
1,730
Hunter 356 and 216 Portland, ME
Philips Heartstart - easy to use, compact, good voice prompts for the novice, batteries and pads replacements readily available online
 
njlarry

njlarry

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Sep 23, 2009
1,475
O'Day 34-At Last Rock Hall, Md
Agree on the Philips. Batteries and pads are lower cost as the units were designed for home and office use. Consider getting pediatric pads for kids under 8 yrs or 55 lbs. Some of the units use adult pads for young kids but drop the current down for kids when you insert key into a slot.
 
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