| Published: Waubonsee Insight |
| Date: December 2005 |
| Section: News |
| Comments: My first news story. |
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By: Ian Essling
Early morning on Tuesday Nov. 22nd, modern technology was put to the test when a man collapsed in the fitness center. Swift action by staff members using an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator, as pictured below) saved his life.
Fitness Center staff used the AED as soon as they determined that the man had no heartbeat. Following the audio prompts, the staff shocked the man's heart and administered CPR.
They quickly reestablished a heartbeat and pulse in the man, and stabilized him by the time the paramedics arrived.
"The cadets were here right away, and the paramedics were here [within] ten minutes," the staff explained. "We are grateful that both the paramedics and [the cadets] responded so fast."
Having access to the AED also helped. Waubonsee has never had to employ the life-saving features of the AED in the past, but all the fitness center staff are trained in both AED operation and CPR, a set called Heartsaver CPR.
The AED can help even untrained personnel save lives. Following visual and audio prompts, users can administer a life-saving shock to victims suffering from sudden cardiac arrest.
Waubonsee's Sugar Grove Campus has two AEDs; one is stored in a fixed location in the Fitness Center, and campus police keep another one mobile. The Aurora campus has one AED in the lobby, while the Copley Campus, given its proximity to the hospital, does not have one on site.
Although there are currently no plans to put an AED in every building on campus having an AED available at all times and having people certifited to use it can be the difference between life and death.
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