On Apr 8, 4:20 pm, Wayne.B wrote:
On Sun, 08 Apr 2007 19:26:16 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing

wrote:
How many of you cruisers carry an automatic defibrillator onboard as
part of your emergency medical supplies?

I've heard of a few but I'm not yet among them. How much training is
required to use them correctly, and how large are they?

I spent 20 years as an EMT (including wilderness EMT) and toward the
end, we travelled routinely with an AED, if not the full-fledged
defibrilator. Very little training is required to operate an AED, and
what there is focuses on setting up and attaching the machine. The
rest is truly automatic.

Will it help? Based upon what I read, it is likely to be the only
thing that works. An immediate shock with an AED is likely to convert
any rhythm that is capable of being converted, at which point CPR
compressions will keep someone alive until advanced care arrives. CPR
alone is ineffective in the absence of defibrilation; they have done
studies and keep changing the protocols and just eliminated the
breaths so that you just compress the heart to continue circulation.
Unless you are able to defibrilate the heart, forget it.

With helicopter rescue now routinely available, the AED/CPR
combination is a good option for someone within 30 to 60 minutes of
advanced care (once you get loaded into the helicopter, the level of
care is really close to that available in many ER's). Without the
AED, that window of opportunity closes to about 15 minutes and maybe
as little as 6 (the time frame we normally aimed for).

What model? The least expensive is as good as the most expensive.
While there are models with lots of bells and whistles, they don't
provide any option that is worth the expense. We purposely bought
simple models for police cars and public places because the options
simply confused the operators. Hook it up and let it do its thing.

I am also a lawyer and spent 7 years as the legal representative on
the Maine State EMS board. Don't worry about liability. The AED
won't shock where none is required. Call EMS and use your best
judgment.

Steve Hayes
Maine