The AED Superstore Weblog

Cash for Clunkers: Recycle Your Older AED

While the government's "Cash for Clunkers" program has ended, we've got a program of our own going on right here at the AED Superstore!

Are you in possession of an older AED? Thinking about upgrading to a newer model? Wondering if there is an alternative to just trashing your old one? As it has been said, "there are always alternatives!"

The AED Superstore has a trade-in program to help you upgrade your current AED to a brand new AED. We offer a generous trade-in allowance of $$$ off the price of a new AED purchased from the AED Superstore. Better yet, if you prefer, we will buy your older AED outright!

So, if your AED is in working condition and is passing its self-checks, why not consider getting something in return for your investment? Simply call 800-544-0048 and speak with one of our knowledgeable and courteous staff about our Trade-In Program. It just may be worth your while!

Companion Pet Resuscitation

Would you, without hesitation, perform CPR on a family member?

A recent Associated Press-Petside.com poll detemined "that 58% of pet owners would be at least somewhat likely to perform CPR on their pet in the event of a medical emergency." An interesting concept, don't you think?

CPR on animals is basically the same as it is on humans, it's just the difference in size and anatomy that matters. You would still give rescue breaths and perform "chest" compressions. Many CPR instructors have included Companion Pet Resuscitation in their repertoire for pet-owners or others who care for animals.

The poll also ascertained that few pet owners are prepared for pet emergencies in their home, with just one-in-five having a pet first aid kit on hand. Most, however, said they would do whatever they could to help their family members who happen to be animals.

At the AED Superstore we haven't forgotten Fido or Fluffy! Check out our pet CPR and pet First Aid products, like CasPeR the CPR Dog manikin by Simulaids, Life/form's Advanced Sanitary CPR Dog manikin, the Pet First Aid kit from First Aid Only, and the Pet First Aid and Disaster Response Guide.

Accidents can and do happen. Make sure you're prepared if Spot or Snowball need your help!

New CPR Saves Lives

It seems almost weekly we are hearing more and more reports for the recent "hands-only" CPR technique. There have been several articles where the responder has used this method with success.

The latest AHA addendumto their 2005 CPR Guidelines recognizes the efficacy of CCR (Chest Compression Resuscitation), or "hands-only" CPR, when applied to a witnessed collapsed victim who is non-responsive and not breathing.

Several agencies have been teaching this method exclusively, while others demonstrate it in conjunction with the traditional method of CPR training. The original recommendation was for a "witnessed" collapse, where the responder knows how much time has elapsed from collapse to initiation of CPR. When the collapse is not witnessed, it is hard to determine how long the victim has been unconscious, and therefore, rescue breaths may be crucial.

We can see, almost certainly, that the AHA will incorporate the hands-only technique in their CPR guidelines when they meet again in 2010. We will keep you updated on the recommended 2010 AHA CPR Guidelines when they have been finalized. 

Stay tuned!

Update: Philips Onsite & FRx Upgrade Deadline

 

Important Note:  If you have a Philips Heartstart Onsite, Home, or FRx AED that is still running the older AHA Guidelines, time is running out to get your AED upgraded to the newer AHA 2005 Guidelines for CPR.

Philips Healthcare will stop accepting upgrade orders for OnSite, Home, and FRx AEDs on 12/31/2009. Make sure to submit your upgrade order before this date!

Philips will send an upgraded AED first and then you will send back your old AED.  This will allow you to keep the defibrillator in service at all times. Follow this link to download your upgrade forms (PDFor Excel).

United States Fire Administration reports cardiac arrest as the leading cause of U.S. firefighter fatalities in 2008

View the entire report here.

We couldn't have put this any better ourselves

LETTER: Every school needs an AED!

Strangers more likely to perform CPR--friends and relatives are less likely

We found an interesting post over at The Straight Dope that really surprised us. They chewed on some research results involving resuscitation statistics that reveal strangers are more likely to perform CPR on you than someone you know would.

Conventional wisdom held (without any basis other than it sounded "good") that strangers were less likely to perform CPR on others. We thought the reasons included the unknown medical history of strangers, unknown airborne and bloodborne pathogens you could be exposed to--stuff like that. It goes along with the American Heart Association's "hands-only" CPR program that addresses this.

It turns out rescuers panic more when they know the victim.

What's the moral of their blog post? 

"...if you're planning on having a heart attack, I recommend you arrange to have a trained stranger on hand who can start CPR immediately upon your collapse."

Click the comment link below and tell us your thoughts!

Study: daily aspirin regimen for healthy people may not be a good idea

 

A daily low-dose aspirin regimen is common for heart attack patients to prevent future occurrences. A report of a study released today suggests that healthy people may want to consider taking a pass. The study found that the risk of bleeding may outweigh the cardiac benefit.

Is AED placement a "black art?" It's about response time!

The headline to this post could also read "How many AEDs do I need for my company?" or "How do I know how many AEDs to buy?" Most of these questions follow the same theme. And they can lead to lots of discussion or stress when you try to account for locked and secluded areas of your facility, the number of people who work there, the average employee's age, number of buildings on the property, the location of the closest EMS agency, and on and on.

Ask anyone with good intentions to perform an AED site assessment for you and you'll realize quickly the process fits definition #2 of "black art."

To help you eliminate most "what if" questions, we recommend using the simple 3 to 5 minute "drop to shock" standard found in the American Heart Association's AED Implementation Guide.

This is what it means: place AEDs so that anyone in cardiac arrest anywhere on the premises can receive a shock within 3 to 5 minutes of the onset of the condition. The questions above are no longer as relevant if you understand TIME is the critical factor. If locked doors, elevators, multiple buildings, etc. interfere with a 3 to 5 minute treatment time, then extra devices are recommended.

So where did this rule-of-thumb come from?  The AED implementation Guide was written using results from American Heart Association research. For every minute that defibrillation is delayed, a patient's chance of survival decreases by as much as 10 per cent. A 5 minute AED delay reduces a patient's odds of resuscitation to "50/50."

Response time is precisely the reason EMS agencies nationwide have low cardiac arrest resuscitation rates in the field.

You can bridge the response time gap with enough properly located AEDs at your workplace!

FAQ: What is the long-term cost of AED ownership?

 

One question we are often asked is, "how much is owning an AED going to cost me over the years?" An excellent question! Let's see if we can answer this clearly, and possibly dispel some misconceptions along the way.

After the initial purchase of your AED, the only costs you'll incur, other than the cost of any optional accessories you may desire, will be the cost of consumables:  electrode pads and batteries. One misconception is the feeling that you will be "constantly changing the pads and batteries."  The fact is, even though each manufacturer's electrodes and batteries may vary slightly with regard to price and expiration dates, a good rule of thumb is 2 years for electrodes, 4 - 5 years for batteries. You are going to change the oil in your car more often than that!

One way to figure your long term cost is to take the cost of the electrode pads times 2, and the cost of the battery, add them together, then divide by 4. This will give you your cost per year for your consumables. There are exceptions with the various manufacturers when it comes to electrode pads' shelf-life and battery life expectancy, but this is a good, general equation to amortize your long-term cost of ownership. It is also a good way to help evaluate which AED may be right for you and your AED Program.