Public Access Defibrillation (PAD)

Thank you for your interest in starting a Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) program in Contra Costa County. Early Defibrillation has been proven to improve survival from out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest.

• More than 350,000 Americans die each year from Sudden Cardiac Arrest
• Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a major public health problem and leading cause of death in the United States
• The most common cause of Sudden Cardiac Arrest is ventricular fibrillation- when the heart's electrical impulses become irregular and the heart is unable to pump oxygen-rich blood through the body
• Currently, a person who suffers Sudden Cardiac Arrest in the US, ouside of a hospital, has just better than a 6% chance of survival
• Once a victim has suffered a cardiac arrest, every minute that passes before returning the heart to a normal rhythm decreases the chance of survival by 10%
• Communities that have implemented programs ensuring widespread CPR training and availability of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) have dramatically improved the survival rates from cardiac arrest.

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