Saving a Life is Shockingly Simple
St. John Ambulance wants you to be prepared to save a life. According to Statistics Canada, in 2005 alone, more than 71,000 Canadians died of major cardiovascular diseases. One of the most valuable tools in saving the life of someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest is Automatic External Defibrillation (AED).
When everything is functioning normally, the heart generates small electrical impulses that cause the chambers of the heart contract and relax. This pulsing action allows blood to enter the heart, as well as force it out to be circulated to the body. When a person is experiencing a heart attack or other cardiac events; damage to the heart muscles can disrupt the electrical signals causing chaotic rhythms. AEDs are designed to detect and shock two types of Heart Rhythms:
Ventricular Fibrillation (VF): This is the most common rhythm in cardiac arrest patients. Rather than producing a strong regular beat the heart quivers, as a result the heart is unable to pump blood effectively.
Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia (VT): This is a very fast heart rate (above 180 beats per minute) that interferes with the pumping action of the heart.
Upon detection, the AED will deliver a shock to the heart that momentarily stops all electrical activity. This pause allows the heart’s own pacemaker to resume command and begin beating normally again. In 2009, St. John Ambulance Ontario trained over 20,000 individuals to use an AED. Ontario also honoured six individuals with lifesaving awards for using an AED to save a life.
Today, many public places such as arenas and shopping malls have public access AEDs; these easy to use machines have proven invaluable in a cardiac emergency.
For 125 years, St. John Ambulance has been training over 140,000 Ontarians annually in first aid and other health care related courses and remains dedicated to saving lives at work, home and play. With over 4,000 volunteers contributing over half a million hours of community service a year, St. John Ambulance is an integral part of the community offering such unique and innovative programs as; medical first response, disaster response, car seat clinics, health and safety related youth programs and therapy dog services. As a charitable, non-denominational, humanitarian organization, proceeds from St. John Ambulance’s first aid training and first aid product sales directly support these vital community services programs.