AED's , Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and Sailing

I thought I would start a separate thread in response to Mark's thread "Eight Bells"

I thought I would take a few minutes to respond to Mark’s initial email since it is something very near to my heart (no pun intended). As you may or may not know, my former Ericson 32 was call Cardiac A Rest, a play on words because when sailing, you are either total relaxed or in shear panic depending on conditions or if you are racing. That being said, I worked for Medtronic Physio Control who was the pioneer in providing therapy solutions for Sudden Cardiac Arrest victims. During my course of employment, I became all too aware of the statistics that essential are a 10 percent reduction is the survival rate per minute that therapy (external shock) is delayed. CPR and emergency breathing are ok, but provide very little benefit if not supplemented with a shock wave for SCA.

I purchased my Father an AED for Xmas last year based on this information. In this case, I purchased a Heartstream (now Phillips) device for just around $1100. This was cheaper than the Lifepack CRPlus from Medtronic even with an employee discount. The reason I bring this up it either brand is excellent and well worth the investment for anyone who is at risk (overweight, cholesterol, smoker, heredity,) etc. Also, if is good if someone goes overboard in cold water for an extended duration of time. I believe you need a prescription for the CRPlus, but not for the Philips Heartstart(??). I plan on buying a unit for myself over the next year since I would hate to wonder “what if” when faced with an event and no equipment. Our cruising fleet captain was on a maiden voyage one month ago on his friends Carver 32. He went to pay moorage and found his friend non responsive. Emergency aid was given followed by external shocks within 3 minutes to no avail. The reason I point this out is this is good for SCA, but will not address all cardio vascular conditions. I’m sure there is a doctor on the list who can provide better information; I was a quality engineer so I’m not a subject matter expert…just a huge proponent of this technology.

Mark, I ‘m very sorry for you and your friend’s family… I wish you all the best working through this painful ordeal.

Respectfully,


Shaun Wurzner
S/V Sorcerer
E38-200

Along those same lines, if anyone here with medical experience can recommend a good commercially available first aid kit, with suitable gear for someone with boy scout level knowledge, backed up with a good book, I would appreciate the advice.

I did an EMT course a few years ago, just for the first aid training. The course itself was disappointing, as there was not nearly as much practical training as I had hoped for, but it did cover things like AEDs. Although expensive, they are simple to use, and make a huge difference to the likelihood of survival; and they reduce the damage caused by loss of oxygen during the attack. An hour figuring out how to use it, a few minutes reminding yourself from time to time, would most likely make all the difference.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972

Gareth,

I forgot to say, they are give audible instructions nowdays, have graphics on the electrodes to show placement, the electrode placement is interchangable, and you can not adminster therapy if it is not warranted (a treatable heart rhythm is not detected).

We put on AED training at our club 2 years ago and are currently scheduling a re-cert event over the next 2 months. It is so easy to do, a 6 year old revived his mom without any training using an AED just by following the prompts and graphics.

Thanks for the info

Shaun,
Thanks for the information on this lifesaving technology. AEDs are starting to be installed in buildings where I work, much like fire extinguishers. Considering that it may save a life, and considering the extra time it can take to reach help from out on the water, it seems like a good investment. I don't know if my friend Jon had SCA, but according to his partner he had no previous symptoms of heart disease. Incidentally, he was a retired ER physician, and his partner is an ER nurse.

wurzner said:

Gareth,

It is so easy to do, a 6 year old revived his mom without any training using an AED just by following the prompts and graphics.

Click to expand...

That is pretty incredible, both for the technology and for the six year old.

For pre-packaged first aid kits, Adventure Medical Kits are very good and easily available. They have marine specific versions. The company was founded by and run by physicians.

http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/

REI carries a good selection of the smaller ones; West Marine and Defender both list the marine kits on their web sites. They are not cheap.