At 7:05 a.m. on April 15, 2002, Arthur Conway, a temporary employee of the Starbucks Coffee York Roasting Plant in York, Penn., was struck down in sudden cardiac arrest. Conway, a father in his late fifties, was in the hallway near the entrance to the plant when he dropped to the floor and lost consciousness. Upon hearing Conway fall, Starbucks staffers Judy Borror, Zenda Edwards and Joyce Shortencarrier went into action.
Borror ran to Conway’s side to check on his condition. After verifying he was in distress, she sought out a member of the plant’s emergency response team, Linda Harrell. While Edwards remained with Conway, Shortencarrier called 911. Within moments, other members of the plant’s emergency response team arrived on the scene.
Starbucks employees Sherry Witmer, Jess Venable, Chuck Hoffman, and Linda Harrell — all trained in automated external defibrillator (AED) operation and CPR — knew what to do. After assessing the situation and seeing Conway’s color noticeably worsening, Witmer ran to the area where the AED was stored. Hoffman, Harrell, Venable and Edwards remained with Conway. By the time Witmer returned with the AED, CPR had already been initiated. The team of Starbucks employees worked together. Hoffman attached the AED pads to Conway. Using the AED machine, Conway was shocked once and then was given CPR. Venable and Hoffman took turns applying the compressions and Witmer and Harrell took turns administering the breaths. The efforts paid off: A pulse was detected.
Paramedics arrived on the scene moments later to provide advanced care and Conway was brought to Memorial Hospital.
What would have happened if an AED had not been available and people had not been trained to use it? It’s impossible to say, but the fact is that for every minute that passes after sudden cardiac arrest the survival rate drops by about 10 percent.
An AED is designed to provide a lifesaving shock to a person suffering from sudden cardiac arrest. The shock will stop the person’s heart, allowing it to reset itself to a proper rhythm and function again effectively.
The American Red Cross’s goal is to have an AED located within four minutes of every American, and someone trained to use it in the event of sudden cardiac arrest.
Many businesses and public venues — such as airports, shopping centers, schools and sports arenas — have purchased AEDs and set up AED programs for the protection of occupants and visitors.
An AED program prepares occupants to respond to a sudden cardiac arrest. AED programs will differ based upon the particular needs and challenges facing each location and organization. The initial steps necessary to develop an AED program, however, are universal:
When developing an AED program, assessment, funding, legal matters and implementation issues must also be considered.
Assessment looks at the needs of the environment and asks questions such as:
Facility executives should consider the budget necessary to purchase the equipment, train the employees, volunteers or other staff, and to provide program maintenance. The average cost of an AED is $2,300.
Legal issues include a check of the good samaritan laws for a state. All 50 states have provided limited liability for lay rescuers trained to use AEDs by a nationally recognized training agency such as the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association. Many states also provide limited protection for the business and the medical director.
When considering implementation issues, it must be decided whether the AED program will be best implemented internally through designated employees familiar with the program and AED vendor or by purchasing a solution package from an outside organization to provide management oversight. The management of the program could include a program point of contact, medical direction, program maintenance, data management, development of protocols, response plans and in-service trainings. Information on solution packages is available from AED vendors and local Red Cross chapters.
Greg Stockton is a health and safety expert for the American Red Cross.
