Published: September 05, 2008 12:12 pm      

Campus, golf course get AEDs

An AED saves times and saves lives. And thanks to “From the Heart Inc.,” two automatic external defibrillators were donated to the Morehead State University Police and the Eagle Trace Golf Course.

Bill Redwine, MSU, said the AED would be kept at the golf course’s Pro Shop in case of emergencies. “We have a lot of senior citizens who play out there, and we believe this is going to be a great asset to have around the golf course,” Redwine commented. “We do have five people already certified to use it.”

Likewise, MSU Police Chief Matt Sparks said more than 30 people at the campus also are certified in using an AED.

Ray White, From the Heart board member, said each device costs about $1,500 if purchased. “The money used to buy these came from the ‘Heart Walk’ and other fundraising activities we have done,” White said.

Rowan County Coroner John Northcutt said he is glad to know AEDs are present in several locations throughout Rowan County. “They are in all the schools and that’s a good thing,” he said. “It’s an important device that hopefully will save time and lives.”

According to the American Heart Association, the AED is a portable automatic device used to restore normal hearth rhythm to patients in cardiac arrest.

It’s applied to outside the body and automatically analyzes the patient’s heart rhythm, and advises the rescuer whether or not a shock is needed to restore a normal heart beat. If the patient’s heart resumes beating normally, the heart has been defibrillated.

The AED is a life-saving device because cardiac arrest is a sudden fatal condition if not treated within a few minutes.

An AED consists of small computer (microprocessor) electrododes, and electrical circuitry. The electrodes collect information about the heart’s rhythm and the microprocessor interprets the rhythm.

Although caution must be taken as an AED should not be used in a patient who has a pulse. Usage should also be avoided under conditions where a patient cannot be isolated from other people (for example, in the standing water of a rowboat that is filled with passengers who are either touching the patient or water).