Responding to Cardiac Arrest With & Without an AED

Table of Contents

    As a cardiologist, Dr. Bourne has resuscitated countless patients. Almost all of these cases of cardiac arrest occurred in the hospital where lifesaving equipment was readily available. However, on two separate occasions, Dr. Bourne has been called to respond to patients outside the hospital. One time there was an AED available, the other time there was not. Did it make a difference? Watch as Dr. Bourne shares his story of responding to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. 

    Note: Automated External Defibrillators (AED) are designed so that they can be used by people without medical training. So, even though Dr. Bourne is a physician, you do not need medical training to save a life with an AED. AEDs have step-by-step voice instructions that tell you what to do and will only shock a person if their heart is suffering from a lethal arrhythmia.

    In this video you’ll learn…

    • How Dr. Bourne found his landlord unconscious
    • The difference an AED can make when someone is suffering from cardiac arrest 
    • Administering a shock with an AED

    Highlights

    • (0:25) Finding his landlord unconscious
    • (0:45) How long the ambulance took
    • (0:57) Witnessing a colleague collapse due to cardiac arrest
    • (1:19) Using a AED to save his colleague

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    Full Transcript

    (0:00) Hi, I’m Dr. Gerry Bourne. I’m a cardiologist and I’ve worked in the Bay Area for the last 30 years. I remember a couple of occasions when I was younger, before I was a cardiologist, where I was faced with cardiac arrest. One was at the end of medical school. I was called by my landlady to go and see my landlord downstairs. He was passed out. He was in cardiac arrest. I started CPR immediately and I’d had recent training so I felt comfortable with what I was doing. But unfortunately I could not resuscitate him. It was a while before the ambulance came and there was no AED available. A couple of years later, I was riding into the hospital. One of my fellow pediatrician residents was also riding in, locked up his bike, and he keeled over. I tried to see if he was conscious and it didn’t appear that he was. I called 911 immediately, and I started CPR. Within a few minutes, an AED was present. It gave him a shock. He was revived almost immediately. In my opinion, having an AED present at a resuscitation attempt makes all the difference in the world.

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