LAS VEGAS, Nev. (702 Times, NV Globe) – When every second matters, the City of Las Vegas is striving to save lives.
AEDs, or automated external defibrillators, have been put in parks all throughout the city and may be used on anybody who suffers a cardiac arrest, particularly children and adults who have a medical emergency while participating in sports.
“I think it is a great idea because you never know what may happen… What if it was your kid? My kids? ,” Anthony Anenberg a player with Libertad League Soccer told Tuesday night.
Omar Sanchez, a soccer player, revealed that he underwent heart surgery as a youngster and that it gives him comfort to know that there is now an AED nearby where he is playing.
“I am very happy to see this in the park,” Sanchez explained.
At the Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex, a soccer player experienced a sudden cardiac arrest in May 2012. His life was rescued by an off-duty emergency department physician and several neighboring paramedics. His mother and other soccer mothers founded an organization called Adam’s Heart to spread knowledge about pediatric sudden cardiac death and worked with the city to begin installing AEDs in sports facilities all across Las Vegas.
“The AED is never going to let you use it to hurt anyone. It will sense if it needs to shock someone,” revealed Scott Philips, Assistant Chief of EMS for Las Vegas Fire and Rescue. Phillips added anyone can use the device in an emergency, you don’t need special training. The machine has a speaker and will guide you through what to do.
“Call 911. Call our people to come respond. Go grab the AED. If it is a person in cardiac arrest begin compressions immediately… Don’t be intimidated. The AED is going to tell you what to do next,” Phillips asked.
Additionally, Philips wants everyone to be aware that utilizing an AED during a cardiac emergency rather than waiting for paramedics to come will increase the likelihood of survival. The initiative will be expanded to further parks, and the city intends to buy more of the equipment.
The City of Las Vegas now has 10 AEDs available: five at the Kellogg Zaher Sports Complex, two at Doc Romeo Park, two at Majestic Park, and one at the Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex.
Credits: FOX 5 VEGAS
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