A 501c3 Certified Non-Profit Organization

September 2022 Monthly Newsletter

Over 23,000 Children Die Of

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Every year in the U.S. 

The sad reality is the number of children who go into Sudden Cardiac Arrest is very high. Many people believe Sudden Cardiac Arrest is an "old person" disease. But the reality is it affects everyone of all ages, no matter their health condition. Seemingly healthy kids and adults have fallen victim to Sudden Cardiac Arrest because they do not realize they have underlying heart issues. (Read the story below about Aidan Miller) 

Entire organizations have been dedicated to helping educate people on child Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Click the link below to view one of our favorite organizations dedicated to helping with Child Sudden Cardiac Arrest. 

Aidan Miller, 16 Year Old Passed Away Due to

Sudden Cardiac Arrest 

Aidan Miller 

Aidan Miller was a 16-year-old boy who was very active in his community when he passed away from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) on July 22, 2019. Aidan was very involved with his community and at school. He was on the Student Council, played football for the Plainview-Elgin-Millville (PEM) High School Bulldogs, wrestled from ages 5-15, and was involved in his school's FFA Club. Aidan also had been accepted into the Bulldog Ambassadors mentorship program shortly before his death where he was supposed to mentor kids younger than him in school. Aidan was also very active in his church. His family attended Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. He participated in youth activities, was a mass server, and attended Camp Summit (a Catholic youth camp) every year since 6th grade. Aidan started out as an attendee and then became a part of the Fiat team, or a camp counselor, where he would be a camp leader and lead prayer groups. Aidan also worked extremely hard on his family's dairy farm. 

July 22, 2019 

The day of Aidan’s death was supposed to be a fun day with friends to get together to play Wiffle ball and go fishing. Aidan started his day by doing chores with his friend who offered to help. He then made his way to his friend's house where they had a man-made pond. On his way, they picked up some more friends. After about 20 minutes of being at his friend's house, Aidan was playfully wrestling with a friend in the grass. Then Aidan stopped, took some steps, and went to the edge of the pond, took a knee, and collapsed. After his friends realized he wasn’t playing around they soon realized he wasn’t breathing. They immediately called 911 but the call dropped because of the location they were in (very rural with little service). They then called on the landline where a dispatcher began giving them CPR instructions. The boys continued doing CPR on their friend until 20 minutes later the first responders showed up. Plainview Police took over CPR when they arrived on the scene. They took out their AED but a shock was not advised.  

When the sheriff’s deputy came they took over CPR until an ambulance arrived. Aidan was never taken to the hospital because he was pronounced dead at the scene.  

No Warning 

Aidan’s family had no history of SCA, he had no symptoms and no signs. He had worked hard on the farm that morning and never said he didn’t feel good or had visible signs of distress. 

Once Aidan passed, the Mayo Clinic did an autopsy to determine why Aidan went into SCA. They did not find anything concrete to pinpoint the exact cause of Aidan’s death. They thought it was a cardiac arrhythmia that sent him into SCA. Originally Aidan’s family thought maybe the acne medication he was on had caused the arrhythmia; since the pamphlet, the medicine came with listed that as a side effect. Aidan’s family has since talked to multiple doctors and has been assured the medication had not caused his arrhythmia. They are still unsure to this day what his official cause of death was.

Article written by Kaitlyn Gilk 

For more on Aiden's story click the Kare 11 Link below

Not Having an AED Could Cost you. Here's why. 

By Sarah Blanshan, APRN, FNP

  It is a regular workday in your place of business until it suddenly becomes anything but normal. A customer has collapsed from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Are you prepared to respond to give them the best shot at life? Or is your business not adequately equipped, and you abruptly find yourself in a precarious state of liability?

Business and property owners or managers are constantly having to prepare for the unexpected, not only to meet the needs of people but also to reduce liability risk. One situation that is common but not often considered is a SCA event. 

Incidence

The statistics regarding SCA are staggering. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 

Over 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) in adults and over 7,000 OHCA in children happen every year.

• 70-90% of people affected will die before ever reaching the hospital.

But automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have the potential to change outcomes for countless people.

The Good News About AEDs

AEDs have become more common in public places for valid reasons: research shows early defibrillation is associated with a higher chance of survival from SCA. 

The American Heart Association (AHA) reports the survival rate is about 90% if a shock from an AED is delivered within the first minute. Every minute that goes by before defibrillation occurs lowers the chance of survival by about 10%. 

All 50 states have some sort of law encouraging the presence and use of AEDs in public spaces. Yet AEDs are often unavailable, not used, or not functioning properly, which can become a major liability risk for businesses or public spaces.  

Protecting Your Business

While most OHCA occurs in the home, 15.1% of events in adults and 12.2% of events in children occur in a public location, according to The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. 

A good place to start in preparing for this possibility is reviewing your state laws regarding AEDs, which vary widely. For state-specific information, reference the websites of the National Conference of State Legislatures or AED Brands and click on your state. 

Even If You’re Not Required to Have an AED, You May Want One.

Even if an AED is not required by state law in your place of business, some lawsuits have been brought forward under common law or premises liability as noted by Athea Law and Gold Law. Common law cases may propose that since the benefits of AEDs are now well-established and known to many Americans, it should be presumed that businesses and public spaces should have these devices readily available, especially if the population that typically comes there is at a higher risk of an event. 

Premises liability cases may offer that owners are responsible to reduce foreseeable risks at their property and that the sheer number of OHCA occurring on an annual basis should make it a foreseeable risk that requires an appropriate response, which includes the use of an AED.

So You Have an AED. That’s Enough, Right?

Not quite. A survey by the AHA found that about half of workers have an AED in their workplace, but don’t know where it is, which can lead to devastating delays or total failure to respond. This case from Illinois was sent back for further proceedings after the State Supreme Court found a fitness center was possibly liable for having an AED and not using it despite having trained staff present during an event. In California, a school district recently settled for $9.5 million after it was found staff did not perform compressions or obtain the school’s AED after a student collapsed and ultimately died. Other companies have found themselves in hot water by having an AED that was not working when it was most needed. 

The Bottom Line

Reducing liability is a good thing, but the real goal of having a working AED on-site is so lives can be saved. Bob Gutierrez at this Publix store in Florida and Jimmy Brodkorb at this restaurant in Minnesota, along with countless others, have been lucky enough to go into SCA at venues that were equipped and ready to handle this unfortunate situation. You can also join the movement. Numerous resources are available to help you effectively place and maintain AEDs in your place of business or other industry.

Article written by Sarah Blanshan

What's New in September 2022? 

Battle Lake Lions Park 

Battle Lake, MN

Formation Sales

Rogers, MN 

Dean Corrigan with Formation Sales decided he wanted to place a 24/7 accessible Outdoor AED Smart Monitored Cabinet at Formation Sales. He said he "wanted to give his employees, customers, and community access to an AED." Dean also has a personal connection that influenced his decision to place an Outdoor AED. Shortly after we placed an Outdoor AED Cabinet in Dean's neighborhood they had to go retrieve it to use it on his father. He experienced firsthand the need for 24/7 access to an AED. 

Annandale Municipal Park 

Sponsorship Opportunities Available 

Are you looking to donate to a life saving cause while marketing your business or organization? Look no further! We have many Outdoor AED Smart Monitored Cabinets waiting for additional sponsors! 

Contact Joel Vogel at 320-290-1427 if you have any questions or are interested in sponsoring a Cabinet. 

1. Cash Wise Liquor Brainerd- (2 more sponsor spots available)
2. Cash Wise Liquor Baxter- (2 more sponsor spots available)
3. Coborn's Delano- (2 more sponsor spots available)
4. Coborn's Foley- (1 more sponsor spot available)
5. Coborn's Little Falls- (1 more sponsor spot available)
6. Sartell High School- (1 more sponsor spot available)
7. Community Park St. Joseph (2 more sponsor spots available)
8. Jeff Eikmeir Neighborhood- (2 more sponsor spots available)

*Examples of some Cabinets you could sponsor below

Do you follow us on Social Media?