November 12, 2001—Cardiac Science, Inc., is outfitting a number of government agency facilities across the nation with its Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). AEDs are portable devices that deliver life-saving electric shock to the heart to halt sudden cardiac arrest—rapid and chaotic heart activity—and restore a normal heart rhythm. Cardiac Science AEDs are currently being deployed at US Postal Service distribution facilities in Long Island, the US Social Security Administration in Baltimore, the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Department of Motor Vehicle offices throughout Texas, and at Sallie Mae federal student loan agency locations around the United States.
These agencies initially purchased a total of 139 units from Cardiac Science with the contracts calling for the installation of AEDs throughout all public areas within each respective facility. According to Cardiac Science, these and future deployments in public sector facilities indicate renewed governmental emphasis on protecting its employees and citizens, as Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the number one killer of Americans, accounting for over 250,000 deaths each year.
On October 27, 2000, the United States Congress passed the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act (HR 2498). The bill recommends placement of AEDs in federal office buildings and provides nationwide Good Samaritan protection that exempts from liability anyone who renders emergency treatment with a defibrillator in an attempt to save a person’s life. For more information about the AEDs, visit Cardiac Science.
