While Japan is praised for achieving one of the greatest penetration rates for AEDs in the world, it is imperative training, education and the ability to locate them is front of mind.
I was featured in an EuroBiz article discussing some of the faults in Japan’s AED distributions and practices.
“’Japan has a pretty good per capita AED ratio; the problem is the public’s ability to use them,’ said Michael Van Zandt, president of Laerdal Medical Japan, which sells Philips Medical AEDs, as well as its own range of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training devices.
“‘For some companies the problem is that they’ve put the cart before the horse, thinking that all they have to do to save lives is install an AED machine,’ he added. ‘They have good intentions, but they haven’t thought through the ‘chain of survival’.
“That chain begins with the speedy deployment of an AED in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. Used properly, the machine delivers an electric shock to a heart that is ‘shuddering’ rather than pumping, in an attempt to restore a normal rhythm.
“Greater AED availability amounts to little if people are unable — or unwilling — to use them. Van Zandt believes a cultural reticence is affecting rates of usage. ‘We have to be aware of cultural sensitivities, but that’s why training is so important,’ he said.”
Click here to read the original article.
Tags: Michael Van Zandt, AED, TriReme Medical LLC, Signitt, Arc Institution
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