Editorial: Technology can be key to survival

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2000 | 9:21 a.m.

Two studies in the New England Journal of Medicine last week reported on the success that casinos and airliners have had in using portable defibrillators. If these machines were placed in the hands of everyday people with a minimum amount of training, the studies found, they could significantly improve the odds of saving the lives of heart attack patients.

Prior to 1997, which is the year when portable defibrillators started to be used more frequently, the chances for survival weren't promising for heart attack victims. The American Heart Association said that of the 736 people who had cardiac arrest while visiting a casino from 1993 to 1996, only 159 survived. But between 1997 and 1999, the study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that of 105 people who had collapsed and were defibrillated in casinos, 56 recovered. Also remarkable was that none of them suffered brain damage, which can happen if the heart isn't started again fast enough.

Time is critical when someone has a heart attack, with treatment optimally occurring within the first three minutes of its onset, a period which often lapses before outside paramedics can arrive. It's estimated that each minute of delay decreases the chances of survival by 7 percent. And contrary to public opinion, the researchers note that portable defibrillators are designed in a way to make them safe, preventing their activation unless someone is genuinely having a heart attack.

There's plenty of credit to hand around for this encouraging development. Richard Hardman, a Clark County Fire Department paramedic, has been an advocate of defibrillators' use by casinos. Boyd Gaming, meanwhile, was one of the first casinos to train its security officers to use the machine. And in an effort to increase defibrillator use by easing legal concerns, the Nevada Legislature passed a law in 1997 protecting those who use them from legal liability.

It is hoped, then, that other large businesses and government agencies, which attract a high number of customers, follow the lead of casinos and others. They should consider using portable defibrillators, which are about the size of a phone book, because they are lifesavers. It is such a small price to pay, considering that the machines usually cost no more than $4,000.