AED In Rural enviorment

[ah64]

Are the Rural ems systems using AED were there is at least 1 hour wating time for ACLS

Or is anybody aware of some kind of protocols about AED and the time it takes to get ACLS care

I mean were there is BLS only no meds not even a IV or intubation

[nsmedic393]

I should hope that being one hour away from ALS would have no impact on weather rural services have a defib. In any case, IVs Drugs and ETT have not been proven to increase survival rates in out of hospital SCA. Good CPR and early Defib have.

[ah64]

I should hope that being one hour away from ALS would have no impact on weather rural services have a defib. In any case, IVs Drugs and ETT have not been proven to increase survival rates in out of hospital SCA. Good CPR and early Defib have.

Well the reason i am thinking about this is because i have been hearing from Doctors and Paramedics that the AED will not safe someone unless there is some meds and advanced airway care given.

In our system we stop CPR after 30 min - if of course no factors like hypothermia are in place

I am manly wondering if services with more then 1 hour transport time to als care should spend there hard earning money on something else then AED´S

[nsmedic393]

Whoever is telling you that is full of crap. Defib coupled with good effective CPR is what is going to save somebodys life. The drugs tubes and all that other fancy stuff aren't proven to improve patient survival rates in the least.

[Cookie]

Chain of Survival

Although it is an important link in the Chain of Survival, CPR alone cannot fully resuscitate a person in SCA. Early defibrillation is the third and perhaps most significant link. Most SCA victims are in ventricular fibrillation (VF), an electrical malfunction of the heart that causes the heart to twitch irregularly. Defibrillation, the delivery of an electrical shock to the heart muscle, can restore normal heart function if it occurs within minutes of SCA onset.

When CPR and defibrillation are provided within eight minutes of an episode, a person's chance of survival increases to 20%. 1 When these steps are provided within four minutes and a paramedic arrives within eight minutes, the likelihood of survival increases to over 40%. 1

Defibrillation, the Key to Survival

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), in cities where defibrillation is provided within 5-7 minutes, the survival rate from SCA is as high as 49%. 1 The AHA also cites that after automated external defibrillators (AEDs) were placed at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway Airports, 9 out of 14 SCA victims (64%) were revived with an AED and had no permanent neurological damage.

However, the availability of AEDs in locations such as airports, airplanes, offices, community centers, and other public places is an evolving trend. The process began almost forty years ago, when the time-sensitivity of SCA and the importance of pre-hospital care first captured the attention of Dr. J.Frank Pantridge.

ALS an hour away? We would load and go and get to the hospital and not wait for an als intercept if it was that long.

[becksdad]

Absolutely agree with the previous answers! Early defib is the key to survival from v-fib. CPR I think simply keeps the patient viable by circulating oxygenated blood. CPR will also circulate drugs administered. I don't know how drug therapies actually influence outcomes, but it seems to me its always the defibrillation that converts the rhythm and improves survival.

[Just Plain Ruff]

1 hour to als intercept - I'd be in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.