The ABC's of AEDs in Kirksville, MO

A Automated External Defibrillators

An Automated External Defibrillator, also known as an AED, is a small, portable device that sends electrical shocks to an individual’s heart that has stopped. The electrical shock, if successful, then restarts the heart. Once turned on, AEDs have an audio recording that leads an individual through the step-by-step process.

B Better chance of survival

Using an AED increases the chances of survival up to 60%. According to the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a community with AEDs is much safer than a community without AEDs. The Public-Access Defibrillation (PAD) study compared two different communities. One community had only volunteers trained in CPR while the other community had volunteers trained in CPR and community access to AEDs. The PAD study found that the community with volunteers trained in CPR along with community access to AEDs had twice as many victims of heart emergencies survive compared to communities with only CPR trained volunteers. 

C Care about Kirksville’s residents 

The NEMO Heart Health Corporation is placing AEDs in local businesses and facilities in Kirksville. The organization is a not-for-profit group that started back in 2009. NEMO Heart Health grew out of the tragic loss of local Kirksville resident Peggy Rynearson. Peggy passed away on April 9, 2009 as a result of not having an AED nearby when Peggy suffered from sudden cardiac arrest. With the loss of Peggy, the NEMO Heart Health organization has been driven to ensure the placement of AEDs throughout Kirksville’s community in order to help prevent similar situations from repeating.

D Did you know? 

Every 33 seconds, someone in the United States dies from a heart related problem, most commonly from a syndrome known as sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest happens when someone’s heart stops beating. This can happen to anyone- elderly, middle-aged adults, children, teenagers and athletes. Sudden cardiac arrest can happen anywhere, unexpectedly with little to no prior warning signs. The chance of a victim surviving sudden cardiac arrest diminishes 7-10% for every minute a victim goes without immediate CPR or defibrillation. In 10 short minutes, reviving a victim that has received no immediate care is rarely successful. Only 5% of individuals who suffer from sudden cardiac arrest survive. Using some type of defibrillation is the only effective way to resuscitate a victim whose heart has stopped. By placing AEDs around Kirksville’s community, the community can be better prepared to act in emergency situations where an individual's heart has stopped beating.

Do your part to restart a heart!

For more information contact 
NEMO Heart Health at 660-665-0000

United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Automated external defibrillators (aeds) Washington, DC: Retrieved from http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/aed/index.html

WebMD (2008). Heart disease guide. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/automated-external-defibrillator