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Nov 29, 2008 10:55 pm US/Central
Program Teaches Student Athletes To Use AEDs, CPR
CANNON FALLS, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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Using the automated external defibrillator (AED) is simple. It's a matter of opening the box and simply listening to what it tells you to do.
CBS
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is the leading cause of death among young athletes. In the past year and half, five student athletes at Minnesota high schools died or nearly died from SCA.
It often happens without warning and without any aid from CPR or a defibrillator, it is 100% percent fatal.
The Medtronic Foundation and the Minnesota State High School League kicked off an awareness program called "Anyone Can Save a Life." The idea is to encourage people in schools to become familiar with the signs and symptoms of SCA and with the latest CPR and defibrillator techniques.
It's what saved Michael Spillman's life earlier this year. The junior at Cannon Falls High School was playing pick-up basketball when he collapsed. The site supervisor and several students jumped into action by calling 911, locating the defibrillator and starting CPR. Within three minutes, a police officer arrived and shocked his heart back into normal rhythm.
"It's pretty amazing. It kind of leaves me a little speechless sometimes. If they weren't there, if they didn't know what they were doing, I wouldn't be here talking to you," Spillman said as he watched the high school football game.
One of the students who administered the CPR was a trained lifeguard, but said he didn't need that training to know the right things to do when it came to the defibrillator.
"I'll bet you my little sister, 11 years old, could do this thing by listening to the directions," said Cannon Falls senior Joel Willenbring.
Using the automated external defibrillator (AED) is simple. It's a matter of opening the box and simply listening to what it tells you to do.
"These machines are designed to be really simple to use," said St. Paul/Minneapolis Airport EMT Linda Russo. "You just open them up, turn them on and they start to talk to you. They give you all the instructions you ever need."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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