An AED and CPR Helped NFL’s Damar Hamlin

As the NFL community patiently waits to hear back on Buffalo Bill’s Damar Hamlin’s recovery, the world has seemed to halt and take notice of the importance of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) which helped stabilize Hamlin before he was transported to the hospital. If you are not familiar with the situation, Hamlin was hit on impact in a tackle, resulting in the athlete’s sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Thankfully, the medical staff’s rapid response to two key players in the survival of SCA, both CPR and an AED, was able to keep Hamlin stable enough to be taken to a hospital where he currently is being treated. We pray for this athlete’s safe and healthy recovery and are grateful to hear about the success of the emergency action plan. However, many unfortunately are not around a medical team ready to leap into action when such a life-threatening event happens, which means they are relying on individual bystanders or even family members to react if SCA occurs.

According to the American Heart Association, 70 percent of Americans feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency, fearing hurting the victim or not knowing how to perform CPR.² Taking courses on how to perform CPR and use an AED and knowing the closest location to access an AED lowers the statistic and increases the number of lives saved. It also doesn’t hurt to encourage your local schools, businesses, office, etc. to be prepared, too. An event like this can happen anytime, anywhere, and to anyone.

When proposing to incorporate an AED into a local/public facility or even deciding if you may purchase one for your own home, you may be faced with the question- WHY?

Why You Should Have an AED?

• 350,000 is the number of people who die from out-of-hospital SCA each year in the United States
• You only have 3 minutes to shock an SCA victim with an AED for the best chance of survival
• The average time it takes for EMS to arrive is 8 to 10 minutes
• You have 4 to 6 minutes before the brain begins to die after not receiving oxygenated blood
• SCA leaves a 90% mortality rate ¹

Receiving training on how to respond quickly in a cardiac emergency and how to activate the EMS system can help you act with confidence, avoid potentially dangerous situations, and ultimately help save the lives of others. If you or a business/organization you know is interested in learning more about CPR and AEDs, please visit https://www.aedsuperstore.com/ or contact us at 800-983-5306.

References

¹AEDSuperstore. (2022, December 20). Buy an aed: How to buy an AED: Aed Superstore. AED Superstore Resource Center. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://www.aedsuperstore.com/resources/aed-buyers-guide/

² Howe, S. (2018, June 1). When to use hands-only CPR and Aeds. Harney District Hospital. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://www.harneydh.com/when-to-use-hands-only-cpr-and-aeds/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20American%20Heart,afraid%20of%20hurting%20the%20victim.%E2%80%9D