'Managing' sudden death: Doctor pushes to install defibrillators in Quebec's public spaces
A Quebec cardiologist is spearheading an effort to install more defibrillators in public, with the goal of making the life-saving machines more accessible in a crisis.
An automatic external defibrillator (AED) can restart a heart, but only if you work fast, Dr. Paul Poirier explains.
"If there's no defibrillator nearby, they will die. Every minute correlates with [a] 10 percent death rate. Ten minutes, you're dead," Poirier told CTV News.
Poirier wants AEDs placed at central points where people often pass by or gather, especially in rural areas.
"We have to put it in schools, we have to go public," he said. "Sudden death, by definition, is sudden. You cannot prevent it so you have to manage it."
He cited the dramatic case of NFL football player Damar Hamlin's collapse on the field last month.
"This guy is alive because he had a defibrillator nearby. Shock, bang."
He approves of the Quebec government's installation of 100 AEDs in automated bank teller locations. 900 more will be installed in the future.
The next big hurdle is to engage the public.
"We have to demystify that a defibrillator is not a safe thing to use," said Victoria Moorhouse with the Heart and Stroke Foundation. "It is 100 per cent safe to use with audio and visual prompts. Anyone can use a defibrillator."
Moorhouse, a CPR instructor, says if you see someone in cardiac arrest, call 911 and get the nearest AED.
The technology will take it from there, providing the user with clear audio instructions and pictograms.
"It's a portable device that will give an electric shock to the person who needs it. So anybody who doesn't need it, the defibrillator is smart enough to know [not to] give a shock," she explained.
After using the pads, resume CPR until paramedics arrive.
"Follow the tempo. The AED is there to guide you," Moorhouse said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.