LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Every second counts when someone is in a cardiac situation and their life is on the line.
Employees at Lima's Municipal Court are getting training on the automatic external defibrillator, known as an "AED", which was donated by Lima Memorial Health System. Hundreds of people are at the courts each day and at some point, this piece of life-saving equipment will be needed. Medical officials say that keeping the heart primed with blood is crucial and hands-on CPR is needed as quickly as possible leading up to the use of the "AED". Both of these are essential and can be the difference between life and death.
"It cuts down the time. The sooner we can get the machine and start using it or the medical care the survival rate goes up dramatically. We have anywhere on a light day 300 to 350 people to a heavy day of around 600 to 650 people," said Miles Truex, chief of security at Lima Municipal Court.
"We know from doing hands-only CPR with a use of an automatic external defibrillator can actually save a patient's life. It restores the heart back into a normal rhythm. And then with the use of doing hands-only CPR that provides that oxygenated blood to the brain, to the heart, and to the vital organs long enough to get that patient to the cardiac cath lab," stated Doug LaRue, EMS manager at Lima Memorial Health.
LaRue says the worst thing to do is to stand by and not assist a person in cardiac arrest. You don't have to be certified to do hands-on CPR. Always call 9-1-1 first to get medical crews on their way.
