Gold Cross is proud to announce that we are currently selling AEDs from the following manufacturers. By clicking on the links below, you will be able to access additional information on the specific brand that you are interested in.
If you purchase a Gold Cross Solution, you will receive the following advantages:
- Six-month refreshers
- Medical Prescription / Direction
- Emergency Response Plan
- Placement of AEDs
- Quality Assurance
- Post-Event Debriefing
About 250,000 people die each year from sudden cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest usually results from some underlying form of heart disease. Most cardiac arrests are due to abnormal heart rhythms called arrythmias. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is the most common arrythmia that causes cardiac arrest. VF is the condition in which the heart’s electrical impulses suddenly become chaotic, often without warning. That causes the heart’s pumping action to abruptly stop. When cardiac arrest occurs, the victim loses consciousness, has no pulse and stops breathing normally. Death follows within minutes. Defibrillation is the only known therapy for VF. This technique of giving an electrical shock can restore the heart’s normal rhythm if it’s done within minutes of the arrest. For every minute that passes without defibrillation, a victim’s chances of survival decrease by 7 – 10%. After as little as ten minutes, very few resuscitation attempts are successful.
Unfortunately, quick emergency medical response isn’t always possible. Even the very best Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) experience delays from heavy traffic, secured buildings, gated communities, large building complexes and high rise buildings. This occurs often to places like New York City, for example, where EMS teams fight extreme traffic. There the average arrival time for emergency vehicles is about 12 minutes. Not surprisingly, the cardiac survival rate is less than 2%.
The American Heart Association (AHA) strongly encourages establishing public access defibrillation (PAD) programs as an important way to save the lives of thousands of cardiac arrest victims.
An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a device used to administer an electric shock though the chest wall to the heart. Built-in computers assess the patient’s heart rhythm, judge whether defibrillation is needed and then administer the shock. Audible and/or visual prompts guide the user through the process.
According to the AHA, defibrillation is the single most important factor in improving the out of hospital survival of a cardiac arrest patient. This is where the lay rescuer can have a profound effect on patient survival. Survival depends on a strong “Chain of Survival”. The Chain of Survival consists of Early Access (911), Early CPR, Early Defibrillation and Early Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). Early defibrillation is the weakest part of the Chain of Survival. Your company and Gold Cross can strengthen the Chain of Survival.
Information Request
Brian Lawson
brian@goldcross.org
920-967-6073
920-850-0166
Steve Radich
steve@goldcross.org
920-967-6066
