ARTICLE
October 16th, 2019 Dear Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Member, As a Sarasota Chamber of Commerce member, you know Lakewood Ranch Medical Center (LWRMC) has long recognized the importance of community support and improving the lives of Sarasota County residents. Your business or organization plays a vital role within our community which is why we would like to invite you to consider becoming a participating community members trained in Hands-Only CPR and/or an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) provider. You could personally make a dramatic difference in the survival of cardiac arrest victim’s within Sarasota County if you choose learn Hands Only CPR and/or place an AED within your business or organization! Did you know that cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among Americans, above cancer, house fires, firearms, traffic accidents, and AIDS combined? Shockingly, most people who suffer cardiac arrest have no prior symptoms of heart disease. According to scientific research, the sooner CPR and AED defibrillation can be delivered the higher the victim’s survival rate. Survival rates reduce by 10% every minute without CPR and AED intervention. Sadly, approximately 95% of cardiac arrest victims die before ever reaching the hospital. The average Emergency Medical Service (EMS) response times in Sarasota County is over 7 minutes. More than 1500 9-1-1 calls annually are received for cardiac arrest. Nearly 60% of cardiac arrests are witnessed, and originate from a cardiac arrhythmia which can only be treated by an AED. Community members who are trained in hands only CPR and have AEDs readily available to provide defibrillation within 3-4 minutes after victim collapse can improve survival rates by as much as 86%. Two separate scientific studies in 2018 found that placing an AED, versus not placing one was cost effective and increased quality of life years. Based on 2017 U.S dollars, the cost of public AEDs, to one quality-adjusted year of life was $50,000. The American Heart Association (AHA) supports Hands Only CPR and AED placement within targeted public places such as sports complexes, gated communities, shopping malls, gyms, schools, and exercise paths. Along with AED placement and learning Hands Only CPR, the AHA also strongly encourages that AEDs be logged with local EMS, a medical authority or a physician providing oversight for quality, and persons responsible for using the AED be trained in its use. If your business or organization already has an AED, congratulations! You are already helping cardiac arrest victims within our community. We strongly encourage you to log your AED with your local EMS, if you have not already done so. By adding more AEDs and trained hands only CPR citizens within the community, together we can be the difference between life and death for cardiac arrest victims. If your business or organization is interested in learning Hands Only CPR you can contact the LWRMC Director of Cardiac Cath Lab, Lyn Swann at 941-782-2273 or Lyn.Swann@lwrmc.com. If you would like to know more about Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, please visit our Web site at lwrmc.com. Sincerely, Lyn Swann, BSN, RN, PCCN | Director, Cardiac Cath Lab Judy Young | Chief Nursing Officer Andy Guz | Chief Executive Officer