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Location of phones a vital key to proper AED placement

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More and more facilities are making the pragmatic choice to include Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in their campus environments, including sports arenas, corporations, shopping malls, airports, colleges and universities.

There are several important factors that factor into the proper placement of AEDs, and one key element is close proximity to a phone, according to the Federal Occupational Health (FOH) agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

“A nearby telephone that can be used to call backup, security, EMS, or 911 to be sure that additional help is dispatched.”

Code Blue, the industry leading manufacturer of emergency communication solutions, employs this important recommendation in both of its units that have the option of a temperature-controlled integrated housing to accept an AED device:  the CB 1-s and CB 2-e.

In addition to providing swift access to the compartment through a signal to the device that releases the door hatch, both the CB 1-s blue light pedestal and CB 2-e call box include a hands-free, high-tech emergency speakerphone, which can be used to quickly and efficiently contact first responders.

This is especially important since people may not have the knowledge or be prepared to use an AED during an emergency situation. A phone, however, gives first responders the ability to walk an individual through first aid, which can increase the likelihood of survival.

According to the FOH, AEDs and other defibrillation devices used to be operated solely by local EMS personnel, but the factors like size, cost and complexity limited their use. An estimated 200,000 people in the U.S. die from sudden cardiac arrest annually, and a quarter of those deaths could have been prevented by having direct access to an AED.

Thanks to recent advances in technology, though, many of those constraints have been reduced or eliminated – which is vital when it comes to a situation involving sudden cardiac arrest:

“In the event of a cardiac incident, rapid response is critical to survival. Emergency medical service response time can range from 8 to 25 minutes, and chances of survival decrease 7 to 10 percent every minute that passes without defibrillation. AEDs can increase survival rates from 50 to 80 percent, when used in conjunction with Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).”

With all the usual benefits that come with our standard Code Blue units, both the CB 1-s and CB 2-e with AED Housing are excellent choices for areas where timely response to sudden cardiac arrest is critical.