[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 3, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H4862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     NATIONAL CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION AND AUTOMATED EXTERNAL 
                      DEFIBRILLATOR AWARENESS WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Kuhl) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
National Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External 
Defibrillator Awareness Week, quite a handle. It commenced just 2 days 
ago on Sunday and lasts until Saturday.
  Last year, I introduced legislation to support designating this first 
week of June as National CPR and AED Awareness Week, and I am pleased 
that Congress passed my proposal to help bring an important issue to 
light.
  Heart disease continues to be--and I repeat that--heart disease 
continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States. So I 
believe that we must do all we can to bolster our efforts to combat 
heart disease and sudden cardiac arrest.
  Approximately 325,000 coronary heart disease deaths occur outside of 
the hospital emergency room every year, and roughly 95 percent of 
sudden cardiac arrest victims die before even reaching the hospital.
  These statistics serve as a clear reminder that we must take action 
to save lives at the local and the community levels, and an annual 
National CPR and AED Awareness Week will help us do just that.
  CPR more than doubles a victim's chances of surviving sudden cardiac 
arrest by maintaining the vital flow of blood to the heart and to the 
brain.

                              {time}  1945

  Over 75 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur within the 
home, so CPR can make a difference between life and death.
  Additionally, automated external defibrillators are easy for even 
bystanders to operate and are highly effective in restoring a normal 
heart rhythm if used within minutes after the sudden onset of cardiac 
arrest.
  Communities with comprehensive AED programs have achieved survival 
rates of over 40 percent, as opposed to 5 percent, which is the 
traditional rate of survival. And I am proud to have sponsored the New 
York State law that required public high schools to have at least one 
such device on the school grounds.
  As a state senator, I worked with my colleague, Assemblyman Harvey 
Weisenberg, Long Island, who advanced this initiative after a young man 
named Louis Acompora from Northport, Long Island, died from a blunt 
impact to the chest while playing lacrosse. He was a goalie and was 
doing exactly what he was trained to do. Had an AED been available at 
the time, his life very well might have been saved. Thankfully, our 
efforts in New York have helped to save over 35 lives in New York State 
in the 5 years since the law's enactment.
  The American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and the 
National Safety Council are holding public awareness and training 
campaigns around the country. And the National Safety Council is also 
offering a free online course of CPR and AED training all week long. 
This week, as a result of their efforts, it is our hope to train over 
100,000 Americans in CPR and AED treatment opportunities. And Americans 
will have the opportunity to learn to combat heart disease at the 
community level and hopefully save lives all across the country.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this week, Mr. Speaker, 
it's a very important initiative.

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