Mercy Health Foundation Lourdes has donated an automated external defibrillator (AED), to St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, in Metropolis.
An AED is a lightweight, portable device that delivers electric shock through the chest to the heart. The shock can stop an irregular heart rhythm and allow a normal rhythm to resume following sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is an abrupt loss of heart function. If it’s not treated within minutes, it quickly leads to death.
“As part of The Ray & Kay Eckstein Heart & Vascular Institute at Mercy Health’s ongoing commitment to the cardiac health of our community, we are pleased to provide St. Rose of Lima Church with this immediate life-saving device,” says Jessica Toren, President, Mercy Health Foundation Lourdes. “Statistics show that every minute counts when someone’s heart stops beating and with more AED’s where the public can access them, everyday citizens can become part of the emergency response system, increasing the likelihood that first responders can save a life.”
AED’s are designed to walk any rescuer through defibrillation and CPR using voice prompts.
Studies show that defibrillation within three minutes of sudden cardiac arrest increases the chances of survival to 70 percent. Shock within one minute of collapse raises the survival rate to 90 percent.