|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is one of the leading causes of
death in the United States, claiming 350,000 lives annually. Many American businesses, including Transamerica,
Bankers Trust, Michelin North America, The New York Times Company and HP itself are
protecting their workers and customers by deploying automatic external defibrillators
(AEDs). These devices are now available
to deliver lifesaving therapy where people spend most of their waking time—the
workplace. Each day, more than 130 million Americans go to work, where they
spend two‑thirds of their waking hours. A study on the incidence of life
threatening ventricular fibrillation (VF), the abnormal heart rhythm present during
SCA, found that VF occurs most frequently on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons;
typically the most pressure‑intensive periods of the workweek. VF was found to
be least common on Saturday and Sunday. Several other factors can contribute to the
risk of SCA in the workplace, including: ·
an aging workforce, particularly in industrial companies ·
large numbers of employees located under one roof, which can contribute
to the statistical risk of such an emergency, and ·
occupational hazards (electrocution, chemical exposure, etc.) that
predisposes employees to a greater risk of sudden cardiac arrest. When defibrillation is solely provided by community emergency
medical services (EMS), many factors in the workplace, including the following, can
limit the timely delivery of lifesaving defibrillation therapy: ·
urban locations‑ may be difficult for emergency responders to
reach due to the need to negotiate traffic, staircases, elevators, escalators or
crowds of people; ·
industrial campuses‑ may have tight security controls, facilities
that are spread out over a large campus, or may require that outsiders don special
protective clothing to enter certain areas; and ·
relatively remote locations‑ may result in longer response times
by community EMS. Preventing unnecessary deaths from sudden cardiac arrest is
within the reach of your organization. We look forward to working with you in
partnership as you move through the process of implementing your early defibrillation
program. Golf
Digest and American Heart Association Join Forces in Heart Health Initiative
Targeting Golfers, Golf Courses
Story Filed: Monday, September 13, 1999 11:57
AM EST NEW YORK, Sep 13, 1999 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- A new
public education and awareness program announced today by Golf Digest and the
American Heart Association takes aim at the nation's leading cause of
death--cardiovascular disease. A study published last year in the American
Heart Association's journal, Circulation, indicated that golf courses are among the
most common public places where cardiac arrest occurs. Because of their large area
and often remote locations, golf courses are also among the most difficult places for
emergency medical teams to reach quickly. The "Links
for Life" initiative will
encourage golf courses to strengthen their emergency response programs by placing
automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and other emergency response equipment such
as radio transmitters or other communication devices, and by training staff in
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and AED use. The initiative will also take advantage of
golf's broad audience and growing popularity to educate the general public about how
to prevent and respond to cardiac emergencies on and off the golf course. Links
for Life will develop and distribute a
series of articles and other printed materials on cardiac arrest, first aid, CPR and
early recognition of heart attack to help increase awareness of what to do when
cardiac emergencies strike. "Links for Life is a call
to action to golfers and the golf community nationwide," explained Golf Digest
editor Jerry Tarde. "Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death on golf
courses. The Links for Life coalition will help
provide the tools and the know-how to make golf courses safer fields of play and to
help save lives in the communities where our readers live and work." The campaign will be launched this week with an
article on sudden cardiac arrest in the October issue of Golf Digest, available on
newsstands September 15. "Sudden cardiac arrest claims about
250,000 lives every year in the U.S. alone," said Lynn Smaha, MD, president of
the American Heart Association. "The good news is that cardiac emergencies don't
have to result in tragedy. If people are properly trained in CPR and the use of AEDs,
it is estimated that as many as 50,000 lives can be saved each year." The definitive treatment for the most common
cause of sudden cardiac arrest is an electrical shock to the heart known as
defibrillation, but if treatment isn't administered within 10 minutes of the onset of
cardiac arrest, there's almost no chance the victim will survive. It can be very
difficult for emergency medical teams to reach many areas of a course in such a short
period of time, but onsite responders armed with the proper equipment and training
can often reach the victim within three to four minutes. Other organizations participating in the project include the National Safety Council, the National Golf Course Owners Association, the Club Managers Association and the Golf Course Superintendents Association.
|
