Don’t be afraid to use a public AED

When Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills made a jarring tackle during a National Football League game against the Cincinnati Bengals last January, it seemed like just another routine play. However, after he stood up, he collapsed and tumbled to the turf. Hamlin was in sudden cardiac arrest.

His life was saved on the field by a team of medical personnel using cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and an automated external defibrillator (AED) to shock his heart back into rhythm. Hamlin was hospitalized for several days, but made a full recovery and was cleared to resume his football career. He returned to the Bills for training camp last summer and is on the team again this season.

Hamlin’s remarkable comeback and inspiring story drew national attention beyond the sports world and he is now using his platform to advocate for CPR training and increasing the availability of defibrillators in public places.

The shocking sight of a young, fit professional athlete nearly dying during a game on prime time television has also heightened the importance of how to respond during these situations.

First Things First: Call 9-1-1

“God forbid, if you’re there when a person goes down, absolutely the first step – this is what they teach in any CPR training class – is call 9-1-1,” said Cape Cod Hospital emergency medicine physician Molly Malone, MD. “And then immediately begin high-quality chest compressions, CPR. Doing chest compressions will help restore blood circulation to vital organs in a person whose heart is not beating or is in irregular rhythm.”

According to the American Heart Association, immediate CPR and electric shock from an AED device are the keys to survival for approximately 350,000 adults who go into cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year. But AHA statistics indicate bystanders administer CPR only about 40 percent of the time and use AEDs even less frequently. About one in 10 people who have cardiac arrests in public get this type of help.

Should you find yourself faced with the situation of someone who has collapsed and is unconscious, Dr. Malone said, it’s important for someone to become the leader and assign tasks.

“Everything seems to be happening all at once, so someone has to take control,” she said. “Point to a person, make eye contact and be clear: ‘You, call 9-1-1. You, go get the AED, it’s on the wall, down the hall on the left.’”

“Don’t stop doing CPR and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Doing CPR is difficult. You’re going to get tired very quickly.”

Dr. Malone added that the average person usually can’t assess a patient’s condition if the patient is unconscious and doesn’t appear to be breathing or have a pulse. Even if the layman is unfamiliar with how to administer CPR, doing chest compressions will begin to help restore a normal heart rhythm and blood circulation to the heart and other vital organs.

It’s helpful when out and about in public places to look around for AED boxes, which typically are mounted on walls and are brightly colored with a heart image and often a lightning bolt, Dr. Malone said. Being familiar with where an AED is located could help save a life and no one should be afraid to use an AED.

There is Zero Risk

“They’re foolproof and user-friendly. Open the box, press the on button and the AED will start talking to you with very easy commands telling you exactly what to do,” said Dr. Malone. “There’s zero risk. We have a saying in emergency medicine: You can’t make a person more dead.

“When someone is unresponsive, not breathing and without a pulse, that is cardiac arrest,” said Dr. Malone. “They’re essentially dying, if not already dead, so you can't make anything worse using an AED. You don’t have to worry about doing the wrong thing.”

Good Samaritan laws also protect people who try to provide life-saving care.

“Proper instruction and training is best,” said Dr. Malone. “But nowadays, everything can be learned online. Watching a video from the Red Cross, for instance, on CPR or on how to use an AED is helpful. And doing something is better than doing nothing.”