AEDs (Defibrillators) on Boats?

[JMiner]

(Water and electric bad combination)[/QUOTE]



Good Point they covered that in the class i took, you would want to move the subject into the house and get them on a dry surface, but even the time taken to ensure everyones safty seems to be alot faster than waiting on help and trying to do cpr for that long a period.

[Reelcommocean]

Good point about the water/electricity hazard. Seems like you could take a towel and dry the area and individual if an enclosed cabin wasn't available. I guess if it was rough or raining and you were on a CC though I could see the apprehension in pushing that shock button.

That is also and interesting point about the CG. So if you are lucky enough to be fishing near a CG boat, there is no guarantee they have an AED onboard? Anyone know if other marine patrol boats (police, VMRC, etc.) have them onboard?

[Capt. Jon Tennant]

I think its a great idea. one problem I foresee with the AED's on the water is the motion of the boat as well as the vibrations of the motor on inboards if needed to power down sea will cause the AED not to work. life preservers, bean bags, & fish bags all make for a good cushion to isolate the victim from the vibrations and some of the jar which might help the unit to work, but thank goodness I don't know for sure. does anyone know if one is made more tolerant to motion that might be better for on the water use?

[JOE_DIRT]

I did a quick search and didn't find one that is specifically for marine use. I'm not sure how much it would matter, though if you are in rough seas. The "paddles" stick to you much like a EKG electrode does. As far as the vibration of the motor goes, they use them inside ambulances so I'm guessing that wouldn't be an issue. Having a dry surface is probably the only problem you would run into.

I'm not sure if they have a battery indicator on them or not, but if you have an AED that should probably be on the yearly checklist along with the epirb, raft, etc.

[Reelcommocean]

I looked around as well and I don't think they make a specific marine version. Like Joe said, the vibrations and rocking of the boat shouldn't have an impact on its performance. The pads are very sticky. A lot have lithium batteries so they will last quite a while without a battery change.

[fishskipper]

The charter fleet here talked about having several on the boats that were more apt to be offshore. I don't know if they ever followed through. Is $1500 the bottom dollar price or are there cheaper ones. I know its a cheap price to pay for someones life, but I'm just wondering if the price could be more feasible?

[marlineer]

As a FF/EMT I would stronly recommend one to all boat owners Who venture far from services. As for being wet and some of the other concerns, I have used an AED on a victim on the beach Who was pulled from the surf. I saw Him last Sept. on the beach and He was doin' great. As for the motion of the Ocean and the vibration/noise of the motors, We will pull of the road and go into silent mode when the machine is anylyzing the Patient. I would suggest shutting down during treatment. We carry one on Our Rescue boat as well as every ambulance and one on Our first out Engine.

[Reelcommocean]

1500 is about the average I believe. There are definitely some units that are cheaper (1000) and some upwards of 2000. My dad is a Cardiologist and we are looking into some units and a way to create a package for mariners. Maybe even include it in a first aid kit.

The more I research aeds, the more I am convinced that we should have more available on the fishing grounds. I also found that a federal bill was passed this past year to help subsidize the purchase of aeds to create greater access for rural communities. I don't know the details of the bill but it seems like a great plan.

I also found this in an article on the American Heart Association website:
" Lay rescuer AED programs consisting of police in Rochester, Minn., security guards in Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports, and security guards in Las Vegas casinos have achieved 50–74 percent survival for adults with sudden, witnessed, VF cardiac arrest."
"In cities such as Seattle, Washington, where CPR training is widespread and EMS response and time to defibrillation is short, the survival rate for witnessed VF cardiac arrest is about 30 percent.
In cities such as New York City, where few victiims receive bystander CPR and time to EMS response and defibrillation is longer, survival from sudden VF cardiac arrest averages 1–2 percent."

All the data seems to point to early recognition of the individual going down and early defribilation as being a key determinant to whether a patient survives or not. And after about 5 minutes, it is really a flip of the coin whether the patient will come back or not.

[marlineer]

The fact that Your patient is wet when being treated will not cause an electrocution, however, it will decrease the amount of shock the patient is recieving. The pads are able to anylyze the correct amount of shock necessary and the wet conditions will cause a lesser shock. It is also true about the success rate of early intervention on a witnessed event.

[tacklebuster]

we have one for the offshore fleet Ron.
Scott Reels