San Diego Project Heart Beat Marks 25 Years: More Than 11,000 AEDs Deployed, Over 220 Lives Saved
San Diego Project Heart Beat, in San Diego, San Diego County, California, marked its 25th anniversary on November 4, with the program, city firefighters, emergency medical professionals and sudden cardiac arrest survivors celebrating the milestone together. Established in 2001, the program is one of the nation's pioneering public access defibrillation programs, dedicated to helping ordinary residents recognize and respond to cardiac arrest.
Since 2001, the program has deployed more than 11,000 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) throughout the region and contributed to more than 220 reported lives saved through its managed program participants and AED placements. The program grew out of a family tragedy: in 1999, Karen McElliott's husband Ron collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest after crossing the finish line of a 10K race in Chula Vista and did not survive; she became an advocate for public access to AEDs. Program manager Maureen O'Connor attended the celebration, along with San Diego Fire-Rescue Chief Robert Logan and representatives of Falck, the city's emergency medical services provider.
The first minutes after a cardiac arrest are the golden window for resuscitation, and on-site defibrillation often decides survival. The program says it will continue expanding AED coverage and community training.
(Source: Response Ready)
Source: Response Ready
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：公共场所设置的自动体外除颤器（AED）柜机。DiogoBaptista 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A publicly accessible automated external defibrillator (AED) cabinet. By DiogoBaptista, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
