Defibrillators to be installed in all Quebec public schools

An automated external defibrillator (AED). (Vladimir Srajber/pexels.com)

The Quebec government says it will spend more than $3 million to equip all public schools with an automated external defibrillator (AED) if they don't already have one.

According to the government, this means that 1,558 defibrillators will be purchased and installed to ensure that every elementary school, high school and training centre is equipped.

According to the most recent data, 93 per cent of high schools already have at least one defibrillator, but this drops to 51 per cent for elementary schools and 70 per cent for vocational training centres and adult education centres.

The plan is to increase the rate to 100 per cent.

This measure follows a long-standing campaign by Dr. Paul Poirier, a cardiologist and professor at the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, who has been campaigning for several years to have all schools equipped with a defibrillator.

An automated external defibrillator is a small, portable device that analyzes the heart rhythm of a person in distress to trigger an electrical shock to correct any abnormal electrical activity in the heart.

It analyzes the heart's rhythm and advises whether a person needs to trigger a shock so the user doesn't need to make the decision themselves.

“If a rhythm amenable to correction by electric shock is not detected, the device advises against shock and instead recommends that the caregiver begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until emergency medical services arrive,” explains the Heart and Stroke Foundation in a fact sheet. “When an AED and CPR are used immediately, the chances of survival for the victim of sudden cardiac arrest are significantly improved."

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 4, 2024.