Craig Beamish, Ambulance Victoria Team Manager at Numurkah spoke to the club about community AED.
AED's save lives of patients with cardiac arrest. CPR and defibrillators important, as longer wait the brain cells start to die off.
Cardiac arrest is often unexpected. For every minute a patient doesn’t get CPR/defibrillation, their chances of survival fall by 10%.
External defibrillators designed for community members to use with minimal training. Internal computer analysis rhythm and instructs actions to be taken.
Currently 16-18 defibrillators registered in Numurkah with only one accessible 24 hours at the Senior Citizen Club.
GoodSAM is a free global smartphone app that alerts responders to someone nearby in cardiac arrest. GoodSAM is linked to the Triple Zero (000) communications centre, so as soon as an ambulance is dispatched, a GoodSAM alert will notify responders.
How does it work?
How to help a stranger in cardiac arrest? It’s easier than you think.
- A Triple Zero call (000) triggers an alert to be sent to a GoodSAM Responder.
- The responder is told the location of the patient and the nearest available defibrillator (AED).
- At the same time, the closest available ambulance is simultaneously sent to the patient, and in some parts of Victoria, the fire brigade is also dispatched.
- Meanwhile, the GoodSAM Responder can provide CPR and, if possible, make use of the nearest available defibrillator. This gives the patient a greater chance of survival.