There are about 30,000 people world -wide with other peoples' hearts pumping in them.
Without a defibrillator, 9 out of 10 victims of ventricular tachycardia ( rapid heartbeat) die. In the U.S., 350,000 folks a year suffer sudden heart attack death. The March 2000 Popular Mechanics says that you have a stastistically better chance of surviving a heart attack in a casino or airplane than a hospital, according to findings presented to the AHA by the Medical College of Virginia.A reason, they said, is the lack of the automated defibrillators EMS crews use.In hospitals, time is lost waiting for crash carts and doctors.
U.S. cardiac surgery units are required to perform at least 250 open-heart opeations a year. To lure patients, new hospitals must establish low mortality rates. Some U.S. clinics offer discount surgery to Latin Americans to bring in the first customers.
|