While playing tag together with his friends on Wilfrid Walker school playground 3 years ago, BenjaminFizzard collapsed unconscious to the ground.
The consciousness of the 7-year old was restored without requiring CPR but was rushed to a healthcare facility and equipped with an internal cardiac defibrillator and pacemaker. The incident was dreadful, but his parents, Sheldon and Andrea are aware that their son had issues with his heart prior to his breakdown.
Availability of AEDs
A few months earlier, implantation of a loop recorder was carried out to monitor the activity of the heart. The data from the recorder reveals that Benjamin had ventricular tachycardia. He was given a diagnosis of Brugada syndrome which is a potentially dangerous form of heart rhythm disorder that is oftentimes hereditary.
After Benjamin’s close incident 3 years ago, Sheldon and Andrea acknowledged that automated external defibrillators (AED) were readily on hand in various places throughout the city, but not in their son’s elementary school.
All the high schools and Catholic elementary schools in Regina had AEDs while public elementary schools do not have any.
Why AED training is vital
Sheldon is a respiratory therapist while his wife, Andrea is a cardiac care nurse. They are well-aware of the importance of AEDs in their roles as healthcare providers.
According to Sheldon, the device is invaluable. It is simple to use one. When enrolling in a CPR course, there is also the AED training. It is quick to learn since these devices are automated.
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