'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.