Donation intended to help fight sudden cardiac arrest

(St. Louis --)  Tenet Saint Louis' Des Peres Hospital has donated an automated external defibrillator (AED) to Northwest public high school during a special presentation held Saturday, March 22, at Northwest High School in House Springs, Mo.  The donation of the AED – a portable electronic device that is designed for easy use in the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest – is a response to concern about sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and the need to have emergency equipment accessible at public venues.

Each year, about 250,000 Americans suffer from cardiac arrest – usually away from a hospital.  More than 95 percent of them die, in many cases because lifesaving defibrillators arrive on the scene too late, if at all.

"Tenet Saint Louis saw a need in the community and stepped forward to address that need," said Health and Wellness Director Kim Viviano, with the Northwest R-I School District.  "An employee of ours suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while at work last year.  Thanks to our great nurses, health room aides, and local rescue workers, that situation had a happy ending.  This donation will make it more likely that other situations will have a happy ending as well.  Hopefully it will result in more of these units being placed in public areas throughout Jefferson County."

Des Peres Hospital presented the LifePak 500 brand AED as part of Tenet Saint Louis' effort to highlight the need for greater adoption of the life-saving technology at public venues.  Medtronic Physio-Control, manufacturer of the LifePak 500, will provide logistical support in the delivery and training of the AED to the school.

"We realized there was an unmet need in the community," said Michele Meyer, chief executive officer of Des Peres Hospital.  "We hope the donation will call attention to the importance of having AEDs on site at public venues like high schools along with faculty trained to use the devices."

SCA can strike anyone, anywhere and at any time, without regard to age or apparent health.  It is usually caused by ventricular fibrillation, an ineffective quivering of the heart muscle that makes it unable to pump blood throughout the body, but there are other more common causes in children.  Once blood stops circulating, victims quickly lose consciousness and will die within minutes if they don't receive effective treatment.

Treating SCA as quickly as possible is essential.  Survival rates drop about 10 percent per minute before defibrillation.  Small and easy to use by minimally trained people, including students, AEDs provide brief, powerful stimulation to the chest, interrupting the ventricular fibrillation and helping to restore the heart's natural rhythm.

Des Peres Hospital is a 167-bed acute care hospital located at the intersection of interstate 270 and Dougherty Ferry Road.  In addition to its emergency services, Des Peres Hospital provides quality medical and surgical care through a wide variety of services and programs, including heart care, geriatrics, and orthopedics. 

Tenet Saint Louis is a 1,584-licensed bed system of academic and community hospitals and schools of nursing headed by Phillip S. Schaengold, J.D., Tenet corporate vice president, operations and Tenet Saint Louis CEO. Its facilities include Des Peres Hospital, Forest Park Hospital, Saint Louis University Hospital, SouthPointe Hospital and St. Alexius Hospital.

The health system employs approximately 5,500 people and cares for patients from eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and beyond. Tenet Saint Louis is the fourth-largest employer in the city of St. Louis. Current Tenet Saint Louis hospitals combined provided care to more residents of the city of St. Louis who were hospitalized from October 1, 1999 through September 30, 2000 than any other health system.

Tenet Healthcare Corporation, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates 114 acute care hospitals with 27,851 beds and numerous related health care services.  Tenet and its subsidiaries employ approximately 116,000 people serving communities in 16 states.  Tenet's name reflects its core business philosophy: the importance of shared values among partners - including employees, physicians, insurers and communities - in providing a full spectrum of health care.  Tenet can be found on the World Wide Web at www.tenethealth.com<http://www.tenethealth.com> <<http://www.tenethealth.com>>.

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