It’s an inconspicuous piece of equipment – the AED. But the automated external defibrillator saves lives by sharply increasing the chance of survival of heart attack.

We at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club have equipped two of our facilities with the Automated External Defibrillator, the Administration Office and the Fitness Center.

More than 300,000 Americans die each year of sudden heart attacks, according to the American Heart Association. The immediate use of an AED on a heart attack victim increases survival rates from 7 percent to more than 70 percent.

Based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, CardioReady® is overseeing its Public Access Defibrillation program at Golden Ocala. Many Golden Ocala staff members have undergone training in the use of the AEDs. They now serve as qualified trained responders in emergencies involving heart attacks.

An AED automatically analyzes heart rhythms for problems and delivers an electric shock to restore normal rhythms, according to MedicineNet. AEDs are often placed in high-traffic locations such as schools and airports.

Electrical signals of the heart control and set the organ’s rate and rhythm, according to the National Institutes of Health. Signals travel with each beat from the heart’s top to the bottom, causing it to contract and pump blood. Problems with the heart’s electrical system – called arrhythmias – may cause irregular rhythms, causing it to beat too fast or too slow. An arrhythmia can even stop the heart entirely.

Arrhythmias are the most common cause of sudden heart attacks. During a ventricular fibrillation, the lower chambers of the heart fail to beat normally and begin quivering rapidly and irregularly. An electric shock from an AED restores the heart’s normal rhythm.

AED are easy-to-use, battery-operated devices that provide instructions and voice prompts to let users know if or when a shock should be sent to the heart. In the absence of someone trained to use an AED and in administering CPR, the untrained are able to use the device, the National Institutes of Health stated.

We at Golden Golf & Equestrian Club are dedicated to helping you make the most of your life.

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