EMS Aspects

Video below:

Barry Ramo wrote a story EMS Aspects and our AED placements and CPR training.  Read the article at the Albuquerque Journal.

Date: October 8, 2009

41 train staff get certified on CPR and lifesaving equipment

Rail Runner AEDs (Albuquerque, NM – October 8, 2009) – 41 engineers, conductors and ticket clerks on the New Mexico Rail Runner Express are now fully trained and certified in the use of lifesaving defibrillators that are now installed on the cab cars of every New Mexico Rail Runner Express train set.

“When you consider the fact that a person can be on the train anywhere from 15-minutes to two-hours, it makes sense to have this kind of equipment in the event of a medical emergency”, says Lawrence Rael, Executive Director for the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “We look at this as a continued effort to provide safe transportation”.

Back in July, train staffers began a series of weekend classes on how to administer defibrillator procedures to passengers in an emergency situation aboard the train. Just this week, the last of 11 “AED’s” or Automated External Defibrillators was installed.

“This is a huge advancement in public safety in New Mexico”, says Robert LaPrise, Co-owner, EMS Aspects. “The New Mexico Rail Runner Express is the first mass transit agency in the state to have AED’s available to their passengers”.

The defibrillators that have been installed on Rail Runner trains are portable units that provide the same action as those found in hospitals and medical facilities. Defibrillators deliver an electrical current through the chest to the heart to correct a critically irregular and life-threatening heartbeat.

Albuquerque-based EMS Aspects is the company that installed the AED’s on New Mexico Rail Runner Express trains. EMS also provided the training for Rail Runner staff in conjunction with the American Heart Association.

“At least 250,000 Americans die each year of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) before they reach a hospital”, says Elizabeth Armijo, American Heart Association. “Many of these lives can be saved if bystanders quickly phone 9-1-1 and begin CPR, and if trained responders provide defibrillation within minutes. Having AED’s in public places, such as the New Mexico Rail Runner, increases the chances of survival”.

For more information on the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, visit www.nmrailrunner.com

Contact: Augusta Meyers, Mid-Region Council of Governments (505) 239-8612

Date: May 19, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth Armijo – 505.400.5180

American Heart Association Wants One Million People to Commit to CPR & AED Training
Heart Hospital of New Mexico Foundation to be Recognized for AED Program

The American Heart Association wants a million people to learn CPR and receive AED training as part of National CPR & AED Awareness Week, June 1–7, to help save cardiac arrest victims. The week encourages the public to get CPR training and learn how to use an AED. It also encourages them to log their training on the association’s web site. The site will feature a live map that will update in real time when people submit their information.

More than two hundred fifty thousand people die in the United States each year of sudden cardiac arrest before they reach a hospital. Without immediate CPR, the chance of surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest drops 7 percent to 10 percent for each minute that passes without defibrillation. Unfortunately, less than one third of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR. There is a great need for more CPR and AED training.

During National CPR & AED Awareness Week, the Heart Hospital of New Mexico Foundation will be recognized by the American Heart & Stroke Association for their AED program. The program will give up to 12 AEDs a year to organizations who apply and has committed $100,000 to the initiative. The AEDs are provided by Cardiac Science and training is provided by EMS Aspects. The press conference will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, June 4th at the Heart Hospital of New Mexico located at 504 Elm Street. At the press conference the Heart Hospital of New Mexico Foundation will award St. Johns United Methodist Church in Albuquerque with an AED.

Cardiovascular disease is the nation’s number one killer. Fifty percent of the 1,000 North Americans who die from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) every day have no prior knowledge that they had heart disease. Twenty percent of people who die from sudden cardiac arrest have no complaints or symptoms. Seventy percent of bystanders who respond to a cardiac emergency have either never received CPR and AED training or their training was more than five years ago, according to a 2008 American Heart Association survey. To keep skills current, training should occur at least every two years.

There are two ways to become CPR trained: take a traditional classroom-based course, or get a self-paced CPR Anytime kit, which includes an inflatable manikin and instructional DVD.

Since 1995, the American Heart Association has recommended the development of lay rescuer AED programs to improve outcomes from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. To maximize the effectiveness of these programs, the AHA emphasizes the importance of organization, planning, training, linking with other alliances, and establishing a process of continuous quality improvement.

For more information about National CPR & AED Awareness Week and to find out more about training, visit www.americanheart.org/CPR&AEDweek or call 1-877-AHA-4CPR.

Good Morning,

EMS Aspects in conjunction with the American Heart Association United Way grant trained over 50 Bernalillo County Sheriffs Department Deputies in CPR and AED training a few years ago. The CPR training and AED purchases have just paid off. We would like to publicly thank the commitment of BCSO, and the quick action of Deputy Dave Brown. BCSO has always supported the deployment of AED’s and is continually growing their AED program.

Bernalillo County Sheriffs Deputy Dave Brown saved a mans life Wednesday, January 25, 2006, by applying a Medtronic LP-500 AED to the patients chest. A single defibrillation converted the patient out of Ventricular Fibrillation into a normal rhythm. The patient regained consciousness and was completely awake and oriented on arrival of EMS. This patient is literally alive today because of the swift action of Deputy Brown.

We had a link below to the news video that was ran on a local ALB TV station but the video has been deleted from their web site. It was a testament to anyone who has ever questioned the effectiveness of a well organized AED training program. The story may also be viewed at KRQE.com.

Kyle Henson

Kyle A. Henson
Managing Member

Robert La Prise

Robert La Prise
Managing Member

Neal Shadoff, MD

Dr. Neal Shadoff
EMS Aspects Medical Director