• Heart Attack is the number one killer of adults according to the American Heart Association, killing more than 400,000 people a year.
• The American Heart Association says 40,000 lives could be saved yearly with more AEDs.
• Without treatment, victims have only minutes to live, but with first aid CPR and defibrillation, the survival rate can exceed 50%.
• If the necessary life-saving equipment and first aid does not arrive in time, typical survival rates are only 2%-5%.
• 80 percent of all sudden cardiac arrests happen at home, and almost 60 percent are witnessed (as stated by the American Heart Association).
• 80% of what a paramedic does is defibrillate.
• The American Heart Association reports that brain damage can
start to occur in just four to six minutes after the heart stops pumping blood.
• AEDs should be brought to a patient's side in less than 4 minutes. Response time should be calculated based on a moderately brisk walking speed of approximately 4 feet per second.
• To meet a response time goal of 3 minutes, the defibrillator needs to be within 360 feet (90 seconds times 4 feet/second) of any given place.
• The American Heart Association encourages the widespread use of AEDs by trained lay rescuers through community AED programs
• Studies have shown that the need to climb stairs or use elevators can significantly slow response time. As a rule, for multi-story buildings, a minimum of one defibrillator per floor is recommended.
• A Georgia CPR instructor can advise you on all of these issues and answer any other questions you may have about your office or personal AED and first aid procedures.