There are few things scarier than the idea of sudden cardiac arrest. In an amazingly short amount of time, cardiac arrest can lead to death. Often, family medical history can provide some clue as to whether or not an individual is at risk. Sadly, however, cardiac arrest can occur even in individuals without any obvious risk and with very little or no warning. When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, chances of survival may depend on the speedy application of CPR and defibrillation. In fact, some studies show that survival rates may be more than 70 percent if defibrillation occurs quickly and competently. As such, an automated external defibrillator (AED) can boost an individual's chances of surviving cardiac arrest greatly. An AED defibrillator is a portable device capable of delivering an electric shock to a person struck by sudden cardiac arrest. An AED must be used by a trained layperson, but can be key in saving a life. These units are designed to be portable and easy to operate, often standing in the way of death for sudden cardiac arrest victims. Simply transporting an individual to a hospital may not be enough in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. It is estimated that survival rates decrease significantly with each minute that goes by after a person is struck. Even paramedic care may arrive too late, as it sometimes takes more 10 minutes for emergency medical personnel to arrive on the scene. As such, widespread use of AED defribrillators has the potential to save thousands of lives.
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