There are around 350,000 to 700,000 people affected by Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) each year in Europe. Life can be saved if early resuscitation is applied within four minutes after Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). However, the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) team takes 8 minutes on average to arrive at the site, which is far beyond the golden time ^[1]. Therefore, a concept about the chain of survival is appealed to help solve this problem.

Before we dig more into why and how effective the role that helpful defibrillators like Mindray defibrillator plays in reviving an SCA patient, let's understand the concept of the chain of survival first.

What is the Chain of Survival?

The sequence of events that form a connection between a victim of cardiac arrest to survival is known as the Chain of Survival. A strong Chain of Survival can greatly increase the chances of survival and recovery for cardiac arrest victims. It comprises the following essential steps to successfully resuscitate a person who has suffered from cardiac arrest.

These steps include:

• The timely recognition of the emergency and activation of EMS
• Early CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)
• Early defibrillation
• Advanced life support (ALS) along with healthcare after resuscitation.

1. Recognition and activation

The first link in the chain stresses the importance of recognizing individuals at risk of cardiac arrest and activating EMS, which allows patients to get immediate assistance. When dialing for emergency service, the informing person should identify the precise location and tell the staff on the phone about what is happening to the patient.

2. CPR & AED

The center of the survival chain is CPR and defibrillation, which are essential components of early resuscitation. CPR should be performed by the individuals present at the location. A well-performed CPR can help double or even triple the chances of survival.

AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) for defibrillation, as the third part of the chain, should be applied as quickly as possible. It is a major component in the chain of survival and has been shown to improve the result of cardiac arrest. Preferably, it should be carried out before the EMS arrives. Therefore, installing noticeable AED boxes with easy-to-operate AED in public places is needed for bystanders to rescue life immediately. External defibrillators like Mindray AEDs are safe and useful even when used by laypersons.

3. ALS and patient care

The last link is advanced life support. It is a set of life-saving protocols which emphasizes providing urgent treatment for cardiac arrest and maintaining the patient's vital signs.

What is the Role of AED in the Chain of Survival?

Early and rapid defibrillation is deemed as the most important link in the chain of survival. It has been estimated that around 49% to up to 75% of sudden cardiac arrest patients survive if the shock is delivered using a defibrillator within the first 3 to 5 minutes of cardiac arrest. Delay causes the survival rate to drop by 7% to 10% with the passage of each minute. ^{[2, 3]}

Early defibrillation using an external defibrillator like Mindray AED, therefore, holds a key role in the chain of survival. CPR only ensures that the blood flows artificially in the body and reaches the vital organs. However, the definitive intervention to bring the abnormally beating or arrested heart back to normal is defibrillation. The shock generated by AED passes through the heart muscles and kind of restarts the heart. The heart starts beating according to its normal rhythm.

Once the shock has been administered, the Mindray AED automatically reassesses the person's heart rhythm after a couple of minutes and delivers another shock if required. Meanwhile, in between the two shocks, if the patient is not breathing and is still unresponsive, you need to continue the CPR to keep the blood circulating in the body. At this moment, the patient's heart cannot pump blood on its own, so doing CPR helps manually pump blood. Lack of blood circulation will, in turn, causes the death of the cells, tissues, and vital organs of the body.

Mindray AEDs Improve Resuscitation Outcomes

Mindray AED-Alert 2.0 is a medical defibrillator that helps those suffering from sudden cardiac arrest. It is an easy-to-use device that can evaluate the heart's rhythm and, if required, give an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to assist the heart in re-establishing an effective rhythm. It allows common people to try defibrillation after cardiac arrest several minutes before qualified medical help arrives.

Mindray AED can play a vital role in this chain of survival. It allows the first rescuer to successfully perform early defibrillation, which is the most effective step to resuscitate a person with sudden cardiac arrest. It guides you through the rescue process, one step at a time, using animated coaching directions and voice prompts. It increases the probability of successful defibrillation, as it needs less than 8 seconds to deliver the first shock.

Moreover, Mindray AED features 360J biphasic technology, with auto-compensation corresponding to patient impedance, which can enhance the success rate for difficult-to-defibrillate patients, following the latest AHA/ERC guidelines.

Conclusion

Sudden cardiac death has a high prevalence and mortality rate. The initial few minutes after cardiac arrest are crucial as timely resuscitation can save the patient's life; however, this golden time may be lost before the medical team's arrival. This necessitates the application of the chain of survival, which comprises a sequence of maneuvers performed by the first respondent before the medical help arrives. CPR and early defibrillation are the key components of the survival chain which artificially keep the blood circulating in the body and may restore the normal rhythm of the heart.

Mindray AED makes the complicated process of defibrillation easy for a non-specialist. Its easy-to-operate design, animated and vocal prompts, and auto-compensation allow any bystander to perform successful defibrillation.