December 19, 2013 - Training and the AED Plus Help Ottawa Paramedic Service Save Lives
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Diane Egan |
TRAINING AND THE ZOLL AED PLUS HELP OTTAWA PARAMEDIC SERVICE SAVE LIVES
One City Employee Saves a Second Hockey Player from SCA
December 19, 2013—CHELMSFORD, MASS.—ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that the Public Access Defibrillator program conducted by the Ottawa Paramedic Service (OPS) has saved 74 lives from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) thanks to training individuals in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using the ZOLL AED Plus®.
Since the Ottawa Public Access Defibrillator program began in 2001, OPS has installed over 540 AED Plus units in public places, community centers, and skating arenas throughout the capital city. It has also held 780 classes and trained over 82,000 individuals in the Chain of Survival. As a result, Ottawa has the highest survival rate among Canadian cities.
According to OPS Chief Anthony DiMonte, the City of Ottawa Paramedic Service manages one of the largest public access defibrillator programs in Canada. The OPS CPR/AED training is open to all residents of the city and is geared toward anyone who is willing to learn this life-saving skill.
In further explaining the program’s success, DiMonte cited the heroic efforts of a city employee who saved a second hockey player from SCA last month at the Earl Armstrong Arena where he worked. In a remarkable coincidence, this second event happened while this facilities operator was waiting to talk to the hockey player whose life he helped save four years earlier on the same rink.
“I am extremely proud of this employee’s quick actions and his use of the automatic external defibrillator that was located at Earl Armstrong Arena.” DiMonte added. “By using the training he received by the Ottawa Paramedic Service, he saved a second life.”
About the AED Plus
The ZOLL AED Plus is the first and only Full-Rescue AED that provides Real CPR Help® for the depth and rate of chest compressions during CPR. This feedback technology helps rescuers provide high-quality manual CPR with real-time audio and visual feedback to help them achieve the proper depth and rate of CPR chest compressions. The AED Plus guides rescuers through the complete Chain of Survival, helping all sudden cardiac arrest victims, not just those who need a shock.
About Sudden Cardiac Arrest
SCA, an abrupt disruption of the heart’s function, which causes a lack of blood flow to vital organs, claims more than 1 million lives globally each year. It is the leading cause of unexpected death in the world and strikes without warning. Survival is poor in most communities at less than eight percent and improvements in resuscitation practices could save as many as half of these victims.
About ZOLL Medical Corporation
ZOLL Medical Corporation, an Asahi Kasei Group company, develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and monitoring, circulation and CPR feedback, data management, fluid resuscitation, and therapeutic temperature management, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, and lay rescuers treat victims needing resuscitation and acute critical care. For more information, visit www.zoll.com.
About Asahi Kasei
The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with operations in the chemicals and fibers, homes and construction materials, electronics, and health care business sectors. Its health care operations include devices and systems for acute critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, transfusion, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals, diagnostic reagents, and nutritional products. With more than 29,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/.
Copyright © 2013 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. AED Plus, Real CPR Help, and ZOLL are trademarks or registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Asahi Kasei is a registered trademark of Asahi Kasei Corporation. All product names are the property of their respective owners.