in the past year, Trent University Added 37 publicly accessible Automatic external defibrillator (AED) has campuses located in Peterborough and Durham, Ontario.
The project is led by a cross-departmental working group in partnership with Action First Aid, based on an increased Automatic external defibrillator The number of AEDs across Trent University campuses has increased from 11 to 37. An AED is a portable electronic device that requires no training and can be used in conjunction with CPR to restart the heart after it has stopped.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, one patient was hospitalized Cardiac arrest It happens every nine minutes, and the chance of survival doubles with the use of an AED.
Trent University said it had used AEDs successfully twice at its Peterborough campus in the past 10 years.
“We usually think of older people or more vulnerable populations that need an AED, but in this case, one of the patients was actually a Trent University student,” said Leslie Spooner, assistant director of customer engagement and operations at Trent University.
Elyse Swadon, Environmental Health and Safety Manager at Trent University, said: “AEDs have been used successfully to treat cardiac arrests at Trent University twice in the past 10 years, so one of the reasons for the decision to increase the number of devices is that we know they are very effective. AEDs can be used by anyone without any special training as they are smart, interactive devices that give voice prompts and guide people through the steps. As such, they are a strong and obvious choice to strengthen our health and safety measures for everyone who works, studies, plays and visits our campus.”
The university has 37 AEDs across its campuses, including four in outdoor climate-controlled cabinets, and says it is one of only two universities in Canada with AEDs available to the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
“Looking at the location of the event, staff and students may be isolated and far from AEDs,” Spooner said. “So making sure there is good cross-coverage across the campus.”
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Action First Aid, Canada's leading first aid training organization, said the cabinets are positioned for quick access if someone's heart stops beating.
“Once that happens, blood is not flowing to the brain and vital organs,” said Deb Hennig, president of Action First Aid. “Basically, from zero to four minutes, there's enough oxygen left in the system. But after four minutes, the brain is damaged.”
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada says nearly half of all cardiac arrests occur in people under the age of 65.
“There are approximately 60,000 sudden cardiac arrests in Canada each year,” said Lesley James, director of health policy and systems at HSF Ontario. “That’s one sudden cardiac arrest every nine minutes, and the rate is rising.”
James said it is estimated that the use of a defibrillator and CPR within minutes of cardiac arrest can increase survival rates by more than 50%.
She said that in Ontario, Civil liability protection For individuals who attempt to save lives using a public AED.
“We need all universities, academic institutions, companies and workplaces to step up and equip themselves with AEDs,” she said. “That way it will be easier for governments to mandate the devices.”
— With files from Germain Ma/Global News Peterborough
