Over 350,000 people in the U.S. die each year from cardiac arrest. Cardiologists believe that over half of these people could be saved if there were widespread availability of defibrillators.
Defibrillators deliver an electric shock that restarts the heart in cardiac arrest victims.
Unfortunately, the window of opportunity of saving the victim is around five to six minutes from the time of cardiac arrest. Congested traffic in big cities and long distances in more rural areas make reaching the victim during this crucial time period very difficult. They believe that defibrillators should be available in many places such as factories, health clubs, apartment buildings and in private homes and should be able to be used by a variety of people who are not health care professionals. The medical facts are alarming. Approximately half of all people who have heart disease die without warning, never having previously shown any symptoms of heart disease.