[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 13, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H5369-H5370]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SUPPORT CARDIAC ARREST SURVIVAL ACT

  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, this morning I am here to talk about the 
Cardiac Arrest Survival Act, which I will be introducing today. If this 
bill becomes law, it has the potential of saving thousands of lives 
each year.
  I am pleased to have this opportunity to work with the American Heart 
Association and the American Red Cross on this very important measure.
  Passage of this Act would go a long way towards making the goal of 
saving the lives of people who suffer sudden cardiac arrests possible. 
It would ensure that what the American Heart Association refers to as 
the ``cardiac chain of survival'' could go into effect.
  That first chain of survival is early access, call 911, early CPR, 
early defibrillation, which I will go into in a moment, and early 
access to advanced care.
  While defibrillation is the most effective mechanism to revive a 
heart that has stopped, it is also the least accessed tool we have 
available to treat victims suffering from heart attack.
  Perhaps it would be helpful for those of my colleagues listening who 
are not well versed in the subject if I just take a moment and walk 
them through what we mean when we use that term ``defibrillation.''
  A large number of sudden cardiac arrests are due to an electrical 
malfunction of the heart called ventricular fibrillation, VF. So when 
VF occurs, the heart's electrical signals, which normally induce a 
coordinated heartbeat, suddenly become chaotic, and the heart's 
function as a pump abruptly stops. Unless this state is reversed, then 
death will occur within a few minutes. The only effective treatment for 
this condition is defibrillation, the electrical shock to the heart.
  My colleagues might be interested to know that more than 1,000 
Americans each and every day suffer from cardiac arrest. Of those, more 
than 95 percent die. That is unacceptable in this country because we 
have the means, the very means at our disposal to change those 
statistics. That is why I have been committed to this cause.
  Studies show that 250 lives can be saved each and every day from 
cardiac arrests by using the automatic external defibrillation, which 
we will call AED. Those are the kinds of statistics that nobody can 
argue with.
  Let me show my colleagues on the next chart, did my colleagues know 
that for each minute of delay in returning the heart to its normal 
patterns of beating, it decreases the chance that that person will 
survive by 10 percent?
  No one knows when sudden cardiac arrest might occur. According to a 
recent study, the top five sites where cardiac arrest occurs are at 
airports, county jails, shopping malls, sports stadiums, and golf 
courses. I believe we would all take great comfort in knowing that 
those who rush to our side to resuscitate us have the most up-to-date 
equipment available and are trained to use it.
  The AEDs which are being produced today are easier to use and require 
minimal training to operate. They also are easier to maintain and cost 
less. This affords a wider range of emergency personnel to be trained 
and equipped.
  Some of my colleagues might ask, if a majority of the States have 
laws authorizing nonemergency medical technician first responders to 
use AEDs, why do we need to pass this legislation? Good question.
  This year's bill differs from previous versions I have offered, which 
primarily sought to encourage State action to promote public access to 
defibrillation. The States responded to this call, and many have passed 
regulation to promote training and access to AEDs.
  However, this bill, Mr. Speaker, directs the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services to develop recommendations to public access of 
defibrillation programs in Federal buildings in order to improve 
survival rates of people who suffer cardiac arrest in Federal 
facilities. Federal buildings throughout America will be encouraged to 
serve as examples of rapid response to cardiac arrest emergencies 
through the implementation of public access to defibrilllation 
programs.
  The programs will include training security personnel and other 
expected users in the use of AEDs, notifying local emergency medical 
services of the placement of AEDs, and ensuring proper medical 
oversight and proper maintenance of the device.
  In addition, this year's bill seeks to fill in the gaps with respect 
to States that have not acted on AED legislation by extending good 
samaritan liability protection to people involved in the use of the 
AED.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the support of my colleagues. I 
hope that they will cosponsor this bill. It has been endorsed by the 
American Heart Association and the American Red Cross. I hope all of my 
colleagues

[[Page H5370]]

 will join me by cosponsoring the bill whose stated goal is to prevent 
thousands and thousands of people suffering from cardiac arrest from 
dying by making equipment and trained personnel available at the scene 
of the emergency.

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