County board OK's plan to respond to cardiac arrests in public buildings

The Washington County Board of Commissioners recently approved a plan to place automatic external defibrillators (AED) in many county facilities as a life-saving measure for people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. Defibrillators will be located in county parks, the law enforcement center, as well as in sheriff department squad cars, county branch libraries, the historic courthouse in Stillwater, the service centers in Cottage Grove, Forest Lake and Woodbury, and the county government center.

Cardiac arrest can occur in men and women of any age and with no clear risk factors. The chance of survival is reduced by 7 to 10 percent for each minute a defibrillator is not used. A defibrillator works by delivering an electronic shock to the heart that stops an uncoordinated heart rhythm and allows the heart to return to a regular rhythm and pulse.

The AEDs will be installed within four to six weeks.

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