Vidant Beaufort Hospital recently donated 15 Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) to several organizations, better equipping them to handle emergency situations.

The donation is part of Vidant Beaufort’s efforts to ensure evidence-based care is available in the community, according to Pam Shadle, spokesperson for Vidant Beaufort Hospital. Of the 15 AEDs, nine were donated to Beaufort County Schools — one to each of the three high schools, one to each of the five middle schools and one to Beaufort County Ed Tech Center. Another five were donated to Beaufort County Community College, and one was donated to Washington Montessori Public Charter School.

Shadle said the donation was, in part, due to an expressed interest in having them available in the local school system.

“I think because of the volume of traffic we have in our schools between students, faculty and visitors — there are lots of folks from our community in our buildings — and knowing we have that many people at any given time, it’s just something available to help us save a life until first responders get there, should we need it. It just potentially serves everyone that sets foot in one of our buildings.”

When cardiac arrest occurs, the earlier the defibrillation occurs, the higher the survival rate, according to Lou Montana Rhodes, vice president of Patient Care Services at Vidant Beaufort. Performing cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) provides a small amount of blood flow to the heart and brain but cannot directly restore an organized rhythm.

”If the heart is still viable, this allows normal pacemakers to restore normal activity,” Rhodes said. “The heart is driven by electrical activity. Defibrillators allow a pause for the natural pacemakers of the heart to restart and hopefully restart you in a normal cardiac rhythm.”

Rhodes said for every minute that a person in cardiac arrest goes without being successfully treated by defibrillation, the chance of survival decreases by seven percent per minute in the first three minutes and decreases by 10 percent per minute as time advances beyond three minutes. The chance of survival declines from seven to 10 percent per minute if no bystander CPR is provided.

“When bystanders perform, the decline is more gradual and averages three to four percent per minute,” Rhodes said. “CPR performed early can double or triple survival. It could mean the difference between life and death. I think what’s important here is science has been proven that the earlier we can provide CPR and defibrillation, the better your survival rate. Most cardiac arrests or collapse is from lethal rhythm that requires defibrillation.”

Beaufort County EMS has volunteered to train staff, including school nurses and administration, at various schools and BCCC, according to Harvey Case, president of Vidant Beaufort Hospital. BCCC, which has a 112-acre campus, plans to spread the donated AEDs throughout campus and ensure there are trained staff members that can serve as a response team, said BCCC President Dr. Barbara Tansey.

“AEDs make it possible for more people to respond to a medical emergency where defibrillation is required. Because AEDs are portable, they can be used by nonmedical people. They can be made part of emergency response program that also include rapid use of 9-1-1 and prompt delivery of CPR. All three of these activities are vital to improving survival from cardiac arrest,” according to the American Heart Association.