by
Christina Hwang, Contributing Reporter | April 18, 2016
Will be available to
30,000 runners and
one million bystanders
Image: LIFEPAK 15
On April 18, 2016, Boston Marathon runners, estimated at 30,000, and one million bystanders will have access to Physio-Control’s LIFEPAK monitor/defibrillator devices and LIFEPAK and HeartSine’s automated external defibrillators (AEDS).
If a patient were to experience sudden cardiac arrest, Physio-Control’s LIFEPAK 15 and HeartSine defibrillators can be used to deliver a shock to the heart to restart it.
LIFEPAK 15 can monitor a patient’s temperature, measure noninvasive carbon monoxide, and has a metronome to guide CPR compressions and ventilations. A patient’s code summaries can then be transmitted to other systems for data review.
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HeartSine AEDs are designed to be used in public areas for adult or pediatric patients.
Factors such as air temperature and race preparation will result in the best finish times, but cardiac death is most likely caused by existing cardiovascular disease. Of runners whose death occurs near the end of the race, Dr. Peter A. McCullough, a cardiologist at the Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, said, “There’s still a lot of blood circulating adrenaline, so the heart is pumping very, very hard, but there’s relatively little blood to fill it,”
according to Forbes.
Additionally, once an individual stops running, blood pools in the legs because muscles are no longer contracting to help blood circulate to the rest of the body, reported Forbes.
Like stretching before a run and staying hydrated, having quick access to cardiac monitoring and defibrillation is an important precaution for strenuous activities, according to the announcement, and the safety of the participates is the event’s ultimate goal.
The LIFEPAK 15 monitor/defibrillator devices will be located in the marathon’s main medical tents and the AEDs will be located throughout the 26.2-mile route.
“Runners and bystanders should be able to focus solely on the race – they will not need to worry about quick access to safety equipment like monitors, defibrillators, and AEDs,” said Cam Pollock, CMO of Physio-Control, in a statement.
“Just as we know every mile counts during a marathon, every minute counts when experiencing sudden cardiac arrest,” Pollock added.
Ten staff members from Physio-Control will provide equipment support and on-the-spot training during the marathon.
