Defibrillator Use May Help Save Lives at Berkley Community Center

A news release:

Beaumont Health System and the American Heart Association donated an automated external defibrillator, or AED, to the Berkley Community Center on Nov. 18.

An AED is an emergency medical device that delivers an electrical charge to a person who is experiencing a life-threatening, abnormal heart rhythm or sudden cardiac arrest. The device, which “speaks” to the user providing step-by-step instructions, automatically diagnoses the heart rhythm to determine if a shock is needed. The pre-set electrical charge administered by the device occurs only if a fatal arrhythmia is detected, eliminating the need for the user to make the decision to defibrillate.

“AEDs are remarkable devices,” said Robert Swor, D.O., director, emergency research, at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. “They are incredibly easy to use and they triple the likelihood of survival after a victim has a cardiac arrest.”

Since 2009, Beaumont has donated 19 AEDs to community centers, libraries, places of worship, and other locations in the community.

About Beaumont Heart & Vascular Care

Beaumont is Michigan’s, and one of the nation’s, most experienced providers of heart care, recognized on U.S. News & World Report’s 2013-14 “America’s Best Hospitals” list for cardiology and heart surgery. The Beaumont Heart and Vascular Center is a comprehensive, state-of-the-art facility that’s dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart problems.Beaumont’s Ernst Cardiovascular Center offers a collaborative approach to treating and managing the most complex heart and vascular conditions, including  atrial fibrillation, heart valve disease, heart failure, aortic aneurysm and dissection. The center also offers low-cost, preventive heart screening for adults and high school students. Beaumont’s Ministrelli Women’s Heart Center is the first in Michigan devoted exclusively to the prevention, diagnosis, and research of heart disease in women. Find out more at http://heart.beaumont.edu/.