Cardiac Science Selected as Exclusive Provider of Automated External Defibrillators Throughout City of Fort Worth
IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cardiac Science Inc. (Nasdaq: DFIB - news) today announced that it has been selected as the exclusive supplier of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to the City of Fort Worth. In aggregate, 80 AEDs have been delivered to Fort Worth and Tarrant County with additional deployments expected in coming weeks and months.
The deployment of AEDs throughout the city, and elsewhere in targeted areas in surrounding Tarrant County, TX, is an integral part of a new Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) program being launched this month by the county. The PAD program, which includes education of emergency services personnel, business leaders and the general public on the use and importance of AEDs, was originally recommended to the city and county by the American Heart Association and will be officially kicked-off with ceremonies on Feb. 12.
Tarrant County Sheriff, Dee Anderson said, ``After comparison of public access AED's, it was clear to us that the Cardiac Science unit is easy to use and has self-testing capabilities that make it rescue ready, ensuring it will meet the needs of the general public and rescue professionals alike. I am certain that deployment of these smart defibrillators, combined with a public education program and well-trained fire and law enforcement professionals, will result in saved lives.''
Cardiac Science President and CEO Raymond W. Cohen said the Company will join the effort to educate and train local leaders in the use of AEDs. Cardiac Science has already enjoyed great success in similar efforts with other major American cities, including San Diego; Pittsburgh; Boston; Augusta, GA; Portland, ME; Honolulu; Colorado Springs; Tampa and Akron, which have to date purchased thousands of AEDs from the Company.
``There's no question that AEDs need to be a vital part of a city's emergency response program,'' Cohen said. ``We look forward to working with Fort Worth, much as we have with San Diego and other cities, to implement this public access defibrillator program. This is the right step to take at this time, especially given the technological advances -- the 'brains in the box' -- we've incorporated into the design of our AEDs. We know through experience that these AEDs will save many lives in Fort Worth and the surrounding areas.''
Designed to quickly and easily provide a life-saving defibrillation shock to restore normal heart rhythm to a cardiac arrest victim, AED's are being used by first responders such as police, fire and ambulance personnel. But the newest AEDs developed by Cardiac Science are designed to be used by non-clinical people who may be the first at the scene of an emergency.
``Cardiac Science AEDs are safe and easy to use, making it possible for non-medical people to provide rapid defibrillation,'' said Dr. John Griswell, EMS Medical Director of the City of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, who will provide medical oversight of the AEDs in public buildings. ``It is possible for someone not trained in the use of an AED to save someone's life. Each unit will be easily accessible by the public and will be prominently identified.''
About Sudden Cardiac Arrest and the Public Access Defibrillator Market
Cardiac arrest takes a tremendous toll on the American public, killing more than 450,000 people annually. Defibrillation is the only effective treatment for sudden cardiac arrest. Currently, a person who suffers sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital has only around a 5 percent chance of surviving. Ninety percent of cardiac arrest victims who are treated with a defibrillator within one minute of arrest can be saved, but every minute after the initial onset that a person goes without treatment decreases their chance of survival by 10 percent. At this time, however, few communities have programs to make emergency defibrillation widely accessible to cardiac arrest victims. AEDs have a 97 percent success rate in terminating ventricular fibrillation, yet fewer than half of the nation's ambulance services, less than 15 percent of emergency service fire units, and less than two percent of police vehicles are equipped with AEDs.
A host of AED-related bills, currently being introduced at the federal level and in state governments across the nation, will likely have a positive impact on Frost and Sullivan's annual AED market projections that currently range from $140 million in 2000 to $650 million in 2006.
The first of the bills, the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act(HR 2498) which directed the placement of AEDs in federal buildings around the nation and provides nationwide Good Samaritan protection that exempts from liability anyone who renders emergency treatment with a defibrillator in an attempt to save a persons life, was passed by the United States Congress in November 2000. A companion bill, the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act, authorized $25 million in federal funds to help rural communities purchase AEDs and to provide training in how to use them. More recently, the Community Access to Emergency Defibrillation Act of 2001 was introduced into the House of Representatives in December. The bill earmarks $55 million a year for five years for communities to buy AEDs and establish access to defibrillation programs.
Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a Technical Information Bulletin and information resource outlining the potential benefits of workplace AED Programs. OSHA will distribute this information to more than 125 trade, professional and union organizations. These documents can be accessed via the Internet at osha.gov . |
