Something for Emergencies

     New member Margaret "Marty" Bell, a cardiologist, has donated an external defibrillator to Arlington Forest United Methodist Church. This piece of emergency equipment could one day save the life of a brother or sister whose heart is not doing its job properly.

     The defibrillator (pronounced "duh-FIB-bruh-lay-tur") is mounted on the wall in the back of the sanctuary. If you are facing away from the altar, the defibrillator is toward the left and near the ladies room.

     This piece of equipment, a Medtronic Lifepak CR Plus, is in a box behind a window (no need to break the window), and is stored with its operating manual. When you place the pads on the patient's chest, they analyze the rhythm of the heartbeat. An irregular heartbeat, called ventricular fibrillation, prevents the heart from pumping blood throughout the body. What the defibrillator does is deliver a shock that can restore a normal rhythm.

     How do you know whether you need a defibrillator?

     If someone is suffering cardiac arrest (a heart attack), and he or she is not conscious, not breathing normally and is showing no signs of circulation (no pulse, no coughing, no movement), then the defibrillator should be used after someone calls 911 to report the emergency.