Putnam General Hospital donates AED machine to Bodyplex on Lake Oconee
EATONTON, GA - January 23rd, 2013 With the heart health of the community in mind, Putnam General Hospital has donated an Automatic External Defibrillator to Bodyplex on Lake Oconee. An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the heart rhythm and determines if a shock is needed and if so is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electrical therapy which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm. For every minute that a person in cardiac arrest goes without being successfully treated by defibrillation, the chance of survival decreases by 7 percent per minute in the first 3 minutes, and decreases by 10 percent per minute as time advances beyond 3 minutes. "We are extremely honored that Putnam General Hospital had invested in this resource for the gym and our members" Greg Stewart said.
Putnam General Hospital has established a partnership with Bodyplex in order to build and offer a phase III cardiac rehab program for patients that have suffered a heart attack. For this reason, it is critical for the facility to have an AED on hand. Phase III of cardiac rehab is when a patient begins a lifelong commitment of regular exercise, which is extremely important in the rehab process. At Bodyplex, patients can exercise individually, with a personal trainer, or join one of the various programs offered such as the Silver Sneakers program. Silver Sneakers classes are a Medicare approved class and are designed specifically for older adults and taught by specially trained, certified instructors.
Angela Mauldin, cardiac rehab director at PGH, recently trained the Bodyplex staff on how to use the AED. With simple audio and visual commands, AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layman. The use of AEDs is taught in many first aid, first responder, and basic life support (BLS) level CPR classes.
For more information about heart health or Putnam General Hospital, please contact Angela Dell, PR and Marketing Director at PGH, at 706-923-2028 or email her at adell@putnamgeneral.com.
