AED saves AFCEC employee’s son

  • Published
  • By Shannon Carabajal
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  A single moment can change a life. Cassandra Price hopes the moment that changed hers will save others.

Price, with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center's Installation Directorate Real Property Management office, was at work on July 1, 2013, when she experienced every parent's worst nightmare. She received a phone call that her 21-year-old son Joshua was having a serious medical emergency.

"One of his friends called me and said (Joshua) wasn't breathing and had no pulse. I honestly thought he had had an aneurysm. I never thought of a heart condition," she recalled.

Price would later find out her son, a very healthy, athletic young man in the prime of his life, had experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. Unlike a heart attack, an SCA is an electrical problem in the heart leading to irregular heart rhythms that prevent the heart from pumping blood. The heart ceases and death occurs for 90 percent of victims, often within minutes.

Joshua was starting his shift as a lifeguard supervisor at Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, Texas, that morning. He collapsed while talking with one of his lead lifeguards. Thanks to the quick response by Joshua's colleagues and the use of an automated external defibrillator, or AED, he survived.

According to the American Red Cross, an AED is the only effective treatment for restoring a regular heart rhythm during sudden cardiac arrest and is an easy-to-operate tool for someone with no medical background. Additionally, the sooner an AED is administered, the greater the likelihood of survival.

Almost losing a son to SCA, a leading cause of death in the United States, turned Price into an advocate for heart screenings, first aid training and access to AEDs. She has been sharing their story because she knows the information can save lives.

"Be aware of sudden cardiac arrest. If you don't know how to do CPR, learn it. Know where the AEDs are at your workplace and learn how to use them," she said.

AEDs are located in many workplaces and schools. In Bldg. 171, they are available near the restrooms and one is located in Bay 4. They're designed to be user-friendly devices so untrained people can save the life of someone having an SCA, said Lorenzo Bower, AFCEC emergency management manager.

"They are simple to use; training isn't necessary," he added.

The device features voice and screen prompts to walk a responder through each step. From exposing the person's chest and applying electrodes to a person's chest to knowing when to apply a shock, users will know what to do and when to do it, Bower explained.

In addition to learning about AEDs, Price also advises people to know the risk factors and symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest and seek a heart screening from an electrophysiologist or cardiologist if necessary. According to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest association, risk factors include:

· History of early heart disease, heart attack, or sudden cardiac death in your family;

· Unexplained fainting or near fainting or palpitations;

· Chest pain, shortness of breath or fainting with exertion (such as during exercise);
· Heart failure or heart attack; and

· Cardiac risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus (high sugar), obesity, or high cholesterol.

Price said Joshua had experienced some of the symptoms, including faintness and shortness of breath after exertion, but her family always attributed them to something else. Had they gone to the doctor and sought testing, however, a doctor told them Joshua would have been put on a betablocker and probably would never have experienced a sudden cardiac arrest.

Even though they didn't recognize the symptoms in time, Price hopes spreading the word and teaching others what to look for will make a difference for others.

"I just try to make sure people, especially with their kids, are aware of the symptoms. If you (notice symptoms), don't dismiss them," she said.

For more information about sudden cardiac arrest, visit http://www.sca-aware.org. For questions about AEDs, contact Bowers at 395-8835.