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La Martiniere College alumnus donates life-saving device to alma mater
According to a Facebook post by principal Carlyle McFarland, the device donated by 1983 batch student Ravi Deva will be installed in the casualty ward.
A La Martiniere College alumnus has donated an automated external defibrillator (AED) to the college infirmary.
The AED, a portable electronic device, helps treat people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest before an ambulance arrives.
According to a Facebook post by principal Carlyle McFarland, the device donated by 1983 batch student Ravi Deva will be installed in the casualty ward.
The AED is operated by simple voice prompts and visual instructions to guide the user. In effect, it delivers an electric shock to the heart to restore its normal rhythm in cases of life-threatening cardiac rhythm disorders that cause sudden cardiac arrest.
The device has been installed following a lecture and demonstration on how to save lives by using cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by Dr Aditya Kapoor, head, cardiology, SGPGI, his Facebook post reads.
CPR is a life-saving technique that is useful in many emergencies in which someone’s breathing or heartbeat stops.
“To spread awareness of how lives can be saved, institutions installing such devices could provide emergency revival for use in a large school community. A single life saved in this manner will be a great blessing,” principal’s post read.
Last month, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that the government offices and malls in Lucknow will soon have AEDs to help save victims of cardiac arrest before an ambulance arrives.
The AEDs will be stored in a central location and will be easily accessible to all staff. The survival rates are reported to be as high as 49% in AED programmes and up to 90% when defibrillation is achieved within the first minute of collapse.
The AED or the shock machine is placed near the patient’s heart to give an immediate shock to it that causes the heart to start functioning at its pace and provides time for the patient to be sent to a nearby hospital.
The machine delivers primary medical aid to the patient through electric shocks administered at two places near the patient’s heart. This medical intervention is more effective than CPR which is performed manually on the chest during a cardiac arrest.
