SCHOOL PUTS AED UNIT ON SITE

By CAROLE DICKEY

Three minutes. That is the critical window of opportunity to restart a person’s heartbeat after cardiac arrest.

According to the American Heart Association, brain death starts to occur four to six minutes after someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest if no CPR and defibrillation occurs during that time. The chances of survival decrease by 7 to 10 percent for every minute of delay.

That’s why Lake Myrtle Elementary School in Land O’ Lakes recently installed an automatic external defibrillator on site. In the event a student or adult should lose consciousness, the AED unit can be quickly attached to the person and its readout will tell the user if the person’s heart needs to be shocked or not. Then, if necessary, shock can be administered using the AED unit.

“We want to be well-prepared,” said the principal, John Abernathy. “Getting the AED says we are thinking about people and the well-being of people.”

The unit, purchased from S.A.F.E. (Safety and Fitness Educators) in Land O’ Lakes, retails for about $2,700, but public schools get a 30 percent discount, said Lonnie Clark, who is a co-partner of S.A.F.E. with Val Thomopaloa. S.A.F.E. also provided the training for 13 teachers at Lake Myrtle to use the unit in an emergency situation.

For more information on S.A.F.E. or AED units in school, home, business or public access areas, call 784-0381 or visit http://www.swimsafebesafe.com.