CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that the city of Tigre in the Province of Buenos Aires, has installed ZOLL AED Plus® units in public areas throughout this popular tourist destination, making it the first Heart Safe City in Argentina.
The city government partnered with community leaders, commercial establishments, and the tourism industry to strategically locate the AED Plus units and encase them in “totem pole” stations in heavily trafficked areas. These vivid red kiosks are brightly labeled “Public Access Defibrillator” and painted with instructions on how to use them. The city’s emergency response bicycle patrols, its emergency response vehicles, as well as all police units, were equipped with the AEDs.
The “cardio-protect” program also included a massive CPR training program in which over 4,000 lay personnel from fruit vendors and bus drivers to those working in area shops, restaurants, marine terminals, and transportation systems learned CPR and how to use the AED Plus. The magnitude of this event can be viewed in Spanish at YouTube video.
“Realizing that we could improve survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest by teaching people CPR and how to use an AED, we decided to implement the community-wide program,” said Juan Manual Carballido, Director of EMS, City of Tigre. “We chose ZOLL because it was the only complete solution that included both the AED Plus and CPR training. Most critically, the AED Plus offers Real CPR Help®, real-time CPR feedback that coaches the lay rescuer through each step of the chain of survival and guides them to the correct depth and rate of chest compression. It is extremely user friendly.”
“It’s our hope that other communities will emulate Tigre’s program once they see the impact that good-quality CPR and publicly available AEDs can have on saving lives. Having AEDs available in public places is integral to survival when every second counts,” said Jonathan Rennert, President of ZOLL.
About the AED Plus
The ZOLL AED Plus is the first and only
Full-Rescue AED that provides Real CPR Help for the depth and rate of
chest compressions during CPR. This feedback technology helps rescuers
provide high-quality manual CPR with real-time audio and visual feedback
to help them achieve the proper depth and rate of CPR chest
compressions. The AED Plus guides rescuers through the complete Chain of
Survival, helping all sudden cardiac arrest victims, not just those who
need a shock.
About Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)
SCA, an abrupt disruption
of the heart’s function, which causes a lack of blood flow to vital
organs, claims more than 1 million lives worldwide each year. It is the
leading cause of unexpected death in the world and strikes without
warning. Currently, only about 5 percent of victims survive; 95 percent
will die from SCA.
About Tigre, Argentina
Tigre, a community of about 380,000,
is located 17 miles north of Buenos Aires. The town sits next to several
islands, streams, and rivers in the Paraná Delta, making it an important
tourist and weekend attraction that’s easily reached by bus, rail, and
water ferries.
About ZOLL Medical Corporation
ZOLL Medical Corporation, an
Asahi Kasei Group company, develops and markets medical devices and
software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives,
while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products
for defibrillation and monitoring, circulation and CPR feedback, data
management, fluid resuscitation, and therapeutic temperature management,
ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians,
EMS and fire professionals, and lay rescuers treat victims needing
resuscitation and critical care. For more information, visit www.zoll.com.
About Asahi Kasei
The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified
group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with
operations in the chemicals and fibers, homes and construction
materials, electronics, and health care business sectors. Its health
care operations include devices and systems for critical care, dialysis,
therapeutic apheresis, transfusion, and the manufacture of
biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals, diagnostic reagents, and
nutritional products. With more than 25,000 employees around the world,
the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries. For
more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/.
Copyright © 2013 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. AED Plus, Real CPR Help and ZOLL are trademarks or registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Asahi Kasei is a registered trademark of Asahi Kasei Corporation. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.