Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Automated External Defibrillator

[Robert Heinich (robert]

Muriel,

2006Mar12 we had a Saint Patrick's Day Party & Fund Raiser in the Common House 
where one of the off-site performers was stricken with an heart attack.  
Despite the efforts of two of our members who came to his aid, a cardiac nurse 
and an urgent care physician, the stroke was too massive and the performer died 
before the EMC could arrive.

I was part of the ad hoc to look into buying an AED (Automated External 
Defibrillator).  As you noted that it is rather expensive ($1500).  We lean 
heavily on the opinion of one of our members, an urgent care physician, who 
thought that the expense of the device coupled with the low likelihood of being 
useful made an AED a poor choice for our limited funds.

Do I wonder if we made the right decision?  Yes but at 55 I all too aware of my 
own mortality.  (I now work at a hospital and had the opportunity to ask the 
opinion of the chief resident I work with.  He also thought that the 
cost/benefit did not justify an AED.)

It would be nice if we had a formula so one could determine at what point one 
could justify buying an AED.

I hope this helps.

-Robert Heinich
 Eno Commons
 www.enocommons.org
 Durham, NC
 who hopes that his daily 81 mg aspirin therapy really does work


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Muriel Kranowski" <murielk [at] vt.edu>
To: "Cohousing-L" <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 10:20 PM
Subject: [C-L]_ Automated External Defibrillator


> Have other completed communities purchased this emergency medical device, 
> the Automated External Defibrillator?  We're currently discussing buying 
> one; it would cost $1,500.
> 
> I'd be interested to hear of your experiences with AEDs and whether the 
> decision to purchase was easy to make or controversial, or if any groups 
> decided not to purchase an AED (after considering it) and why.
> 
>    Muriel
>    Shadowlake Village Cohousing
>    Blacksburg, VA