National Safety Council's First Aid Institute Launches Revised Program

For Immediate Release
June 13, 2001
Contact: Mario Barrales
630-775-2105


National Safety Council*s First Aid Institute Launches Revised Automated External Defibrillation Program

Itasca, Ill. - The National Safety Council (NSC)*s First Aid Institute has launched a newly revised Automated External Defibrillation program designed to save lives in cases of sudden cardiac arrest.
 Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is one of the leading causes of death around the world. Nearly 225,000 Americans are victims of  SCA each year, many at a young age.  That*s three lives every seven minutes. 
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) have become the most exciting life-saving technology in the past ten years.  As access to fully automatic *smart* defibrillator increases, defibrillating the heart is now recognized as the critical action that can restart a heart and increase a victim*s chance of survival.
The newly revised Automated External Defibrillation program teaches the skills that help save lives. Written to *keep it simple*, the program instructs students in the key operating characteristics of AEDs as well as why they work, maintenance techniques, and special operating considerations. Focusing on the five essential elements of responding to an emergency, this program takes you through scene control, patient assessment, cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR ) integration, AED application and protocol adherence.  The AED materials have been reviewed and updated in accordance with the latest CPR guidelines, and include information on meeting state Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) laws, specific emphasis on need for medical direction and discussion of  *Do Not Attempt Resuscitation* orders.
An instructor teaching package, which contains a student manual, an instructor*s resource manual, video and slides, enables instructors to train students. The approximate length of the program is 2.5 hours.  A student text is required for each student taking the course.  This student text serves as a resource/reference book and also contains the course completion card that travels with the student.