As part of Lane Regional Medical Center’s community awareness initiative, 14 hospital volunteers went to 22 area schools to teach more than 1200 staff members how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to save lives in the event of sudden cardiac arrest. 

An AED is a lightweight, portable device that analyzes the heart’s rhythm and administers a shock, if needed, to get the heart back into a normal rhythm.

Laura Peel, RN, director of Lane’s Cardiovascular Services, says, "If you think someone is having a heart attack, call 911 and use the AED.  You do not have to be a trained medical professional to use an AED, the machine will walk you through the process, step-by-step.  Anyone can use an AED, and you cannot hurt someone by using an AED.  Their chance of survival depends on it.”

If you know of a business or organization that would like a free AED demonstration, please call 225-658-4585.