The HeartStart
Foundation ABN : 30 284 021 508
Endorsed for charity tax concessions
"HEART 
START"
A ROTARY CLUB OF WILLIAMSTOWN PROJECT
IN
DISTRICT 9800
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The HeartStart
Foundation ABN : 30 284 021 508
A ROTARY CLUB OF WILLIAMSTOWN PROJECT |
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Rotary
Club of Williamstown Why
AEDs Should Go to School Sudden
cardiac arrest happens to kids as well as adults. A
simple device known as an AED (automatic
external defibrillator) Fiscally speaking, times are tighter than ever before
for schools nationwide, and it may seem like overkill to invest in a device that
might never be used. But the tragic
death of many young people, coupled with the failure to provide the proven cure
in a timely manner make words like “priorities,” “budget constraints”
and “unlikely event” fall on the deaf, wounded ears of loved ones left
behind. The value of a school AED program is not only about
saving kids. Because school
populations also include higher risk middle aged and elderly people such as
teachers, parents, grandparents and visitors, and since schools typically serve
as gathering sites for communities. A school AED program makes a lot of sense
for adults. Sudden Arrhythmia
Death Syndrome or Sudden Adult Death Syndrome as the title implies, culminates
in a person dying very suddenly and unexpectedly. Sudden death in the family is
particularly traumatic for the relatives and friends of the victim as this type
of death can occur in an apparently fit and healthy young person who has shown
absolutely no sign of illness. In some sudden arrhythmia deaths there are no
signs at all on autopsy testing, this is due to faults within the electrical
activity of the heart, which cannot be detected after death. One such condition is
called the Long QT Syndrome (LQTS). With the Long QT Syndrome the only symptoms
to watch out for are fainting spells or sudden death, it is therefore extremely
important that anyone with any symptoms of syncope (fainting) should be screened
for the condition, early identification can reduce the mortality rate.
THE
PROBLEM : Long
QT Syndrome: Experts are unsure exactly how many people die from
Long QT in Australia every year. It is thought that up to 360 lives are lost
each year in Australia due to the Long QT Syndrome. In America up
to 4,000 people may die annually. Unfortunately
many sudden deaths may be undiagnosed sufferers of Long QT Syndrome.
The syndrome gets its name from the distinctive 'signature' or shape of
the wave - an unusually long interval between the 'Q' and 'T' wave points -
shown on an electrocardiogram or heart monitor. This shows how long it takes for
the heart to return to 'normal' after contracting and pumping blood through the
body. Physical exercise, emotional shock or surprise -
even an alarm clock going off - may trigger a fast, irregular and lethal
heartbeat. When this happens,
no blood is pumped out from the heart and the brain is deprived of blood causing
sudden loss of consciousness and death.
Symptoms are easily misdiagnosed, especially by doctors who may not even
be ready to consider it. Mostly
an inherited condition - several members of a family will often be found to
carry Long QT. THE SOLUTION: Heart Start Program At our Rotary Club’s Christmas Party last year we
met a young family that had just experienced a parent’s worst nightmare.
They had been called up during a normal work day to be advised their 10
year old son had just collapsed at school.
Luckily he survived and within 4 weeks had been diagnosed as having Long
QT Syndrome. Whilst drugs can assist with the ongoing management
of Long QT, a defibrillator or heart pacemaker is the best insurance should the
patient have another attack. Unfortunately young children can’t have a
permanent defibrillator installed in their chest as adults do, so the only
alternative is an external one. These
external units are fully automated, easily operated by non medical persons and
extremely effective provided they are on hand when the emergency strikes. ( see
attachment 2 for features and a picture of a Laerdal HS1 External Automated
Defibrillator below ) The Rotary Club of Williamstown, through our Past President Claude Bury’s close association with the Heart Unit of the
Children’s Hospital, have embarked on a program called Heart Start.
As part of this program the Club was able to present this young family
with an external auto defibrillator following a recommendation from the
Children’s Hospital. It
came as great comfort to this family that this $4500.00 unit had been provided
by the Rotary Club to act as guardian and safeguard the health of their
loved one before they had had a chance to really understand the ramifications of
Long QT Syndrome. The Heart Start program (see Attachment 1 below for
Mission Statement) is designed to create awareness and provide public education
to ensure early diagnosis of Long QT Syndrome.
This would be achieved through the network of Rotary Clubs throughout
Victoria. The second thrust of Heart Start is two fold: 1.
to provide Laerdal External
Auto Defibrillators to recipients recommended by the Children’s Hospital by
enlisting support of individual Rotary Club’s and corporate sponsors. 2.
to initiate a program
throughout Rotary District 9800 where individual Rotary Clubs will provide an
External Auto Defibrillator to each primary school in their Club’s area.
This initiative would be funded as a joint effort with the Victorian
Government. CONCLUSION: The Rotary Club of Williamstown is extremely
enthusiastic about this program and have already commenced the recruitment of
other Rotary Clubs and corporate sponsors for the program. As a trial for the program we have identified 5
schools in our area that would benefit from the provision of these units.
We would also use this trial to determine the level of staff training
required to be fully proficient with the external defibrillators use before
progressing statewide with the program. We believe this program has enormous merit and as
President would greatly appreciate your support to ensure the program’s
success. This is a great opportunity to participate and
ensure many young Victorians continue to get the chance to
Go For Your Life. Regards Claude Bury Past President Rotary Club of Williamstown ATTACHMENT 1: MISSION STATEMENT: 1.
Through Rotary Clubs of District 9800 provide information and
educational resources to the general public to create
awareness and early diagnosis of Long QT Syndrome. 2.
To facilitate the provision to those in most need, and the
most risk, of the portable, external, automatic defibrillators necessary for the
emergency treatment of Long QT Syndrome and other genetic cardiac diseases
predisposing our young to sudden death. 3.
Five schools that have been selected to be in the pilot
program and are in the Hobsons Bay area are Williamstown Primary School St Mary’s Primary R.C, School Williamstown North Primary
School Seaholme Primary School Altona Primary School
ATTACHMENT 2:
ATTACHMENT 3: Funding
Heart Start : Year 1.
1.
Provision of one Laerdal
Auto Defibrillator per month for recommended recipients funded by Rotary Clubs
of District 9800 and corporate sponsors. 2.
Trial in Hobson’s Bay area to provide five schools with a Laerdal Auto
Defibrillator. Funded jointly by
Rotary Club of Williamstown and the State Government on 50/50 basis. Year 2. 1.
The provision of one Laerdal Auto Defibrillator per month for recommended
recipients funded by Rotary Clubs of District 9800 and corporate sponsors will
continue in year 2. 2. Extending the provision of Auto Defibrillators to primary schools throughout Victoria will be based on the evaluation of the Hobson’s Bay trial year 1
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