Sudden cardiac arrests are responsible for more than 40,000 deaths in Canada every year according to Alberta Health Services. When every second matters, access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) can make the difference between life or death.
An AED is a portable device that sends an electric shock in hopes of restarting the heart of someone suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. Combined with cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), using an AED drastically increases the survival rates of individuals suffering from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA). According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation
- The baseline hospital discharge survival rate, patients who survive a OHCA and subsequent treatment, is 7 per cent.
- When CPR is administered by a bystander, the hospital discharge survival rate is 9 per cent.
- When an AED shock is also delivered, survival chances shoot up to 38 per cent, a 442 per cent increase from baseline survival.
Although not required, the Alberta College of Pharmacy encourages all pharmacy teams to carry an AED machine in their pharmacy and register with the Public Access to Defibrillation (PAD) program. PAD is a program that provides a map of all registered AED machines within Alberta and allows 9-1-1 operators to direct people towards the nearest AED machine when someone is suffering from a sudden cardiac episode. This program also sends reminders for AED battery expiration dates, monthly AED monitoring reminders, and where to best place an AED in your workplace.
For pharmacies that do not carry an AED, regulated members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with PAD and learn where the nearest AED machine is.
Click here to register your AED with the PAD program.
