AED Saves a Life

Quincy, IL -- Mere days after an Illinois airport became equipped with an automated external defibrillator (AED), airport personnel used the unit to save a life.

According to local news sources, TSA officer Lisa Wiewel used the lifesaving device on a man who was found slumped unconscious in his car in the parking lot at Quincy Regional Airport in Illinois. She followed the unit's instructions until EMS arrived.

Medical personnel at the local Blessing Hospital said that the man lived because of Wiewel's quick thinking.

Dr. Richard Saalborn, who was overseeing the emergency department, said: "They gave two shocks to the patient, was able to regain a heart rhythm and be transported to the hospital in a much more stable conduction than if he would have had to wait 10 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. I don't think he would have lived had that occurred."

Dr. Steven Krause of Blessing Hospital's Cardiac Lab agreed: "Without this device, the chance of a recovery or a successful outcome would've been significantly diminished," he said.

For more information on AEDs and AED training, visit http://www.emergencycareny.com/defibrillator.html and http://www.emergencycareny.com/heartbeat.html.