The CEO of Heart & Stroke New Brunswick wants portable defibrillators to become as common as fire extinguishers.
Nearly 900 automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, are currently registered with the public access defibrillator program through Medavie Health Services New Brunswick.
The program allows emergency dispatchers to direct 911 callers to the closest AED in the event of an emergency.
Kurtis Sisk said they are aware of at least 43 lives being saved in New Brunswick because of portable defibrillators.
“When somebody suffers from sudden cardiac arrest, their chance of survival decreases by 10 per cent with every minute that passes,” said Sisk.
“So essentially after 10 minutes, 99 times out of 100, the patient is not going to make it.”
About 90 per cent of people who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital do not survive, he noted.
However, using an AED in combination with CPR can double a person’s chance of survival, according to the foundation.
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Mike Oulton is one of those New Brunswickers who has been saved by an AED. He went into sudden cardiac arrest and collapsed during a Heart & Stroke NB hockey fundraiser in June.
The individuals who jumped in to help Oulton, including Sisk, were recognized during a special event in Moncton last week.
Sisk said the foundation recently launched a new AED subsidy program thanks to a three-year grant from the provincial government.
“Any public place that wants to apply for an AED can apply to our foundation to get some subsidy funding. We’ll fund up to 75 per cent of the AED, up to $3,500,” he said.
Heart & Stroke NB has placed more than 575 AEDs across the province, including in every arena and school.