Personal defibrillators?

In case you don't know, an automated external defibrillator (AED) is the thing they shock people with on TV ER shows to restart their heart. (While I'm not a big fan of how medical stuff is portrayed in movies and TV, it seems like the easiest way to explain a defibrillator to someone who doesn't recognize the name.)

Now I guess medical research is looking into the benefits of issuing one to every heart attack survivor. The idea is that someone who has already survived a heart attack might have a better chance of surviving a second one if there is a defibrillator at home.

Since heart disease is a problem among diabetics, I wanted to share the results of the study. Evidently having a defibrillator around isn't much better than having family members around who are trained in CPR. However, if your family doesn't want to learn CPR, or if they suck at it, a defibrillator could increase your chances of survival... if someone is around when you go into cardiac arrest.

This expert quote in the article made me laugh:

"The best way to survive a cardiac arrest is not to have it in the first place," says Arthur Kellermann, of the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Umm.... Duh. But he follows up with a good point:

"This is accomplished through diet, exercise, non-smoking and access to good medical care for conditions like high blood pressure prior to a heart attack."

In other word, take care of yourself, people!

I still believe that the best treatment for diabetics is to keep their diabetes under good control and live a healthy lifestyle, rather than relying on drugs. However, this study is a good reminder that some form of intervention is necessary in order to avoid a heart attack, because nothing can guarantee your survival once you go down that path!