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| The wall cabinet containing the AED outside the bank in the main square o th village |
Cardiac arrest (CA) is one of the main causes of death in developed countries.
From clinical studies published in Europe and the United States (sources the American Heart Association and the European Resuscitation Council), it appears that 1/1000 individuals experience AC, while in Italy the estimate is of 60,000 people per year (about 1 every 18 minutes): on average at least the 25% (that means 15,000 human lives) could be saved every year, if the effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) procedure is provided in a timely manner (that is within 5 minutes from the occurrence of CA).
The chances of saving individuals that experience CA lower by 10% for each minute that passes by since the occurrence of CA, in the absence of CPR. After 4-6 minutes from the beginning of CA the first damages from lack of oxygen in the brain start to occur and these become irreversible after 10 minutes, therefore compromising the survival of the patient even if he/she is resuscitated.
The only therapy that has been proven to be effective and that must be provided promptly to assist with this deadly event is to provide PROMPT DEFIBRILLATION (PD) paired with CPR.
In some realities of more advanced countries (e.g. England , Scandinavia , United States , Australia
To obtain this incredible result, in these countries it has been established a system named Public Access Defibrillation- (PAD)-Chain which allows alerting and the activation of the emergency system including the prompt defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation during the first two minutes.
The defibrillator (of the external (semi)automatic type, as known as EAD) is utilized by nonmedical voluntary rescuers and by Law Enforcement personnel properly trained. By far, there are more chances that those individuals would arrive to the location where CA occurred sooner than any vehicle of the emergency service alerted by the emergency system.
Anyone can learn to use a semiautomatic defibrillator: the prompt treatment (within five minutes) of a cardiac arrest victim performed with a prompt defibrillation provided by individuals that are properly trained to perform CPR and PD, while waiting for the arrival of a rescue vehicle, can increase the survival of CA victim up to 40-50%.
The technology and the simplicity of operation of EAD’s have allowed the use of these devices also by a nonmedical personnel. Therefore, even simple citizens can be trained and certified to use AED, without requiring any specific knowledge of human physiology.
The prompt defibrillation can’t be considered on a medical issue: it is a problem of the community, therefore AVIS[1] CASTEL D’ARIO, in collaboration with the local Public Administration, strongly believe its own duty to institute, with the assistance of the 118 Mantova, a PROMPT DEFIBRILLATION project for its own municipal district territory.
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| December 17th, 2011. Some of the so called "Sentinelle del Cuore" with the AED, outside the bank, in Piazza Garibaldi. |
The Project “Castel d’Ario ci sta a Cuore” is intended to fabricate a wall cabinet to contain the AED and located in a strategic location of the municipal district territory (in Piazza Garibaldi, the main square of town) to promote the administration of defibrillation within four-five minutes from the occurrence of cardiac arrest, if necessary, before the arrival of any vehicle of the emergency service.
The PAD-Chain – Chain of Survival in the Municipality of Castel d’Ario – project will involve and will correlate, in a precise temporal sequence, the citizens of Castel d’Ario made aware of the occurrence of cardiac arrest and the local 118.
The aim of the PAD-Chain is to immediately assist the victim of cardiac arrest by providing prompt defibrillation administered by properly trained individuals in the procedures of CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION and PROMPT DEFIBRILLATION, while waiting for the arrival of an ambulance of the 118.
The project, according to the national and regional regulations (Law N. 120 of 3 April, 2001 and subsequent Law of the Lombarida Region N. 7/10306 of 16 September, 2002) has been coordinated by the 118 Mantova, which institutional authority represents the best guarantee for the success of the territorial program of prompt defibrillation.
Castel d'Ario, December, 17th 2011.
[1] AVIS: Associazione Volontari Italiani del Sangue or, Association of Voluntary Italian Blood Donors. The section AVIS di Castel d’Ario (MN) is located at Viale Rimembranze, 3. Telephone +39 0376-66.16.16, E-mail: avis.casteldario@gmail.com
