Help SCA victims
November 1st 2007

The Lifeline AED (automatic external defibrillator) from Martek is designed to enable 'lay' responders with no medical training to give immediate care to a victim of SCA (sudden cardiac arrest).

If a victim receives defibrillation within 3min, their chances of survival are said to be 70%. Every minute that the heart is not beating lowers the odds of survival by 7%.

After 10min, the chances of survival are negligible. Martek says that CPR can buy a little time, but ultimately SCA requires a shock to restore a normal heart rhythm.

With AEDs located in workplaces, life saving care can be delivered almost immediately and the company says that studies in the USA have shown survival rates in places such as airports and shopping malls increased from less than 5% to more than 70%.

A computer inside the Lifeline AED analyses the patient's heart rhythm and determines if a shock is required. If this is the case, the AED uses voice instructions to guide the user through saving the person's life.

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