(407) 712-7300Statistics show that more than 200,000 Americans die each year of sudden cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest, or heart attack, is also referred to as cardiorespiratory arrest, cardiopulmonary arrest, or circulatory arrest and is the abrupt cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively.
“Arrested” blood circulation prevents oxygen from getting to all parts of the body. Brain injury is likely if cardiac arrest goes untreated for more than five minutes, so to improve survival and neurological recovery of heart attack victims, immediate response is of the utmost importance.
If you feel your loved one’s death could have been prevented by an AED in a public place, call our Florida heart attack claims attorneys today to schedule your initial consultation: (407) 712-7300.
Life Savers
Devices known as automated external defibrillators (AED) are being made available in many public places where heart attacks are known to happen frequently including golf courses, gyms, sports arenas, theme parks, airplanes, shopping centers, and many other public venues. An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially deadly cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and tachycardia in a person.
“Arrhythmia” simply refers to the rhythmic beating of your heart. The word “fibrillation” refers to a rapid, irregular heartbeat while “tachycardia” refers to a rapid heart rate of greater than 100 beats per minute in an adult. An AED is able to treat these life-threatening heart problems by application of electrical therapy, which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to re-establish a safer rhythm. An AED cannot bring back to life an already flat lined person.
AED are usually placed in areas where older adults gather and can be used by lay people, who ideally should have received training on the use of the AED. Obviously, a place where teens often gather is not going to have an AED present. In order to make them highly visible, AED’s are often brightly colored and are mounted in protective cases near the entrance/exit of a building. When these protective cases are opened and the defibrillator is removed, a buzzer will sound alerting staff that an AED is in use. Certainly, emergency medical personnel should be called to assist in any case where cardiac arrest is suspected.
If AEDs are available and used in time they are extremely effective in saving lives, and they have saved so many people’s lives that the standard of care according to Florida law is to have AED’s available in public places where heart attacks are known to happen frequently. As many as 50,000 deaths could be prevented each year through the use of AED’s.
If you feel your loved one’s death caused by a heart attack could have been prevented by the presence of an AED in a public place, you may be able to receive financial compensation for injuries and/or loss. Please contact Colling Gilbert Wright today by calling (407) 712-7300 or filling out our form online to schedule your initial consultation to discuss your case.
