Imagine yourself walking hurriedly along the crowded airport, trying to catch your flight to New Jersey. Suddenly, a man in front of you faints and falls heavily on the floor. He just had a cardiac arrest. As people all around start to rush calling for the ambulance, you and other people try to perform CPR to no avail. Precious minutes pass by quickly, and you soon realize that if the paramedics doesn't get to the man on time, he's dead.



*Cardiac arrest* is one of the leading causes of death in America today. It occurs swiftly and silently, leaving behind a high mortality rate where only 5% survive. And despite the best trained emergency responders like firemen and paramedics rushing as fast as they can, the unfortunate reality is that most of its victims die before reaching the hospital or while they wait for the ambulance. That is often the case in cities that have traffic jams like New York.

When someone has a cardiac arrest, the disorganization of the heart's pumping rhythm causes it to be unable to contract properly and makes an abrupt interruption of blood circulation. This results to oxygen deprivation to the brain, unconsciousness, and inability to breathe. Within 3 to 4 minutes, the victim's brain is likely to be damaged. For this reason, it is very important that emergency medical treatment is given immediately in order to resolve the condition. The most common first-aid treatment for cardiac arrest is the cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR, and defibrillation.

Defibrillation helps revive the heart by sending rapid jolts of energy to shock the heart back into its rhythm. A cardiac arrest victim's chances of survival goes up by 10% with after every minute of its use. We are familiar with how they are used as we see them frequently in hospitals, ambulances, and on television shows like Rescue 911 and hospital dramas like Grey's Anatomy and ER. But we know that it's very heavy, and we need to be sufficiently trained to use it, like the doctors who mutter barely coherent instructions on its voltage and then shout ?€œclear!.?€? Of course those things cannot be found outside the hospital or the ambulance and you'd be intimidated to touch it, let alone use it.

This is where portable defibrillators come in use. Immediate aid for cardiac arrest victims is now within reach because of its easy-to-carry packaging and its more automated technology. There is no need for complex buttons to press, and it has instructions that are easy to follow, making just about anyone capable of using it to help save lives.

Portable defibrillators should be placed in public areas like malls, airports, theme parks, hotels, offices, and schools. It should also be strategically located along fire extinguishers or public pay phones for easy access. Because four out of five cardiac arrest occurs at homes, it is also advisable to keep a portable defibrillator handy to be used in emergency cases. Explaining to your kids when and how to use it can spell the difference between the life and death of one of your family members.

In 2003, it was found that the use of these portable defibrillators by volunteers in public areas gave a significant increase to the rate of cardiac arrest victims surviving compared to those who only received CPR. The said study was funded primarily by the National Institutes of Health Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute with the American Heart Association. In Milwaukee, where about 1,000 people joined a training program for the proper use of the portable defibrillator, it was reported that the state already had a cardiac arrest survival rate of 9%.

Soon, portable defibrillators will be a common sight in public areas. People will be more familiar on its importance, and almost everyone will know how to use it properly. So the next time you find yourself in the mall or in the airport, keep a vigilant eye on all emergency areas for that small glass case that contains a portable defibrillator. Knowing where one can be found is very important in case an emergency occurs. Who knows, the next life that could be saved might just be yours.