[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 82 (Monday, June 22, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H4882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CARDIAC ARREST SURVIVAL ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, last week, Senator Slade Gorton joined with 
me in sponsoring the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act. This legislation was 
developed with the assistance of the American Heart Association and the 
American Red Cross. I will be introducing this bill this week and I 
urge my colleagues to join me as original cosponsors.
  What is the purpose of this bill? I think that could best be told by 
retelling a personal experience that I heard last week during our press 
conference on this legislation.
  A Mr. Bob Adams provides us with one of the most compelling reasons 
to pass the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act. Mr. Speaker, he is still alive 
today because of an automatic external defibrillator, an AED. Let me 
explain.
  On July 3, 1997, Bob Adams, who was 42 years old at the time, was 
walking through Grand Central Station in New York City when his heart 
stopped and he collapsed. He is a lawyer in a firm with 450 people, a 
husband, a father of three children.
  He was in perfect health and in fact he had always experienced good 
health. In fact, Bob would tell that he was the least likely person in 
his firm of 450 employees to have an experience such as this. He was 
captain of his college basketball team, played professional basketball 
in Europe, and today is a nationally known college basketball referee.
  Despite being in perfect health with no history of heart disease, 
this young man went into cardiac arrest the day before a holiday 
weekend in a place where half a million people pass through every day.
  Mr. Speaker, timing was everything for Bob Adams. On July 2, the day 
before he collapsed, the automatic external defibrillator that the 
Metro North Commuter Railroad had ordered for use in Grand Central 
Station had just arrived. Luckily, the staff had also been well 
trained, not knowing they would have to test their skills so soon.
  Bob's heart was stopped for approximately 5 minutes before the AED 
was unpacked from its shipping box and everyone hoped that it came with 
charged batteries. Thanks to the trained staff at the station, and an 
emergency medical technician who happened to be present, Bob's life was 
saved.
  Doctors have never determined why Bob suffered a cardiac arrest. It 
simply stopped. Bob and his wife and three children are grateful that 
there was an AED in Grand Central Station on that particular day.
  While Mr. Adams' story is more dramatic than most, my colleagues 
might be surprised to learn that more than 350,000 Americans suffer a 
sudden cardiac arrest every year. Fewer than 10 percent will be 
discharged from a hospital alive. The key to survival is timely 
initiation of a series of events, easily communicated as the ``chain of 
survival.''
  The chain includes early activation of the emergency medical service, 
CPR, rapid defibrillation, and early advanced cardiac life support. 
Weakness in any link lessens the chance of survival and condemns the 
efforts of an emergency medical system to poor results. After as little 
as 10 minutes, very few resuscitation attempts are successful.
  Mr. Speaker, the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act would require the 
development of: One, a model State training program for first 
responders and bystanders in lifesaving interventions.
  Two, model State legislation to ensure access to emergency medical 
services, including consideration of the very necessary training for 
use of lifesaving equipment.
  Three, directs the coordination of a national database in conjunction 
with existing databases relating to the incidents of cardiac arrest and 
whether interventions, including bystanders or first responders, 
improved the rate of survival.
  Mr. Speaker, we need to pass this type of bill. It is not expensive. 
It encourages joint partnership between the commercial and the private 
industry. This bill will ensure that all Americans will have the same 
protection available to them should they ever be caught in such a life-
threatening position as Bob Adams.

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