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American Morning

Study: Even Untrained People Can Save Lives Using Defibrillator

Aired October 17, 2002 - 08:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: A couple of health stories are in the news today. First, a new study finds that even untrained people can save the lives of heart attack victims by using a simple defibrillator. Now defibrillators are expected to pop up in public places all over the country, from airports to shopping malls. And we will have more on that in just a second. But first, I want to ask our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen about a report that could put to rest the big debate over lumpectomy versus mastectomy. She joins us live from Atlanta this morning.
What do you think, Elizabeth? Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL ANCHOR: Paula, good morning.

I think these are really two landmark studies about lumpectomies. There has been a big debate. There has been a big debate, when a woman has breast cancer, should doctors remove the entire breast, or just remove the lump? Two studies, one in U.S., one in Italy, both of them about 20 years long found that it didn't matter, that both were as effective at saving women's lives.

In fact, I will quote from an editorial in the journal, "The failure to observe the survival advantage of mastectomy after 20 years should convince even the most determined skeptics that mastectomy is not superior to lumpectomy for the treatment of breast cancer." So certainly the folks who wrote this, and the folks who wrote this editorial hope that the argument is over.

ZAHN: Let's see how doctors react to that news down the road. On to the issue of defibrillators. Tell us about this new study which shows they might be easier to use than we think.

COHEN: If you watch "ER" or one of those shows, you think, well, how could I use a defibrillator on someone? You must have to have all that training. And what this study found is that you don't, it's found that over the course of two years at three Chicago airports, 18 lives were saved by people using defibrillators, and these were people who had no training; they just picked it up and used it.

In fact, a study found in one case, that sixth graders trained to use them in a mock situation, that even they could figure out how to use them effectively. It's very important that these defibrillators are used quickly, which is why they have them. You can't always wait for the ambulance to get there or the emergency personnel. If they're used immediately, one study showed nearly 100 percent of people could be saved, if you wait four or five minutes, that survival rate goes down to 15 to 40 percent. If you wait 10 minutes or more, you wait, it goes down to like 5 percent, somewhere around there.

It's so important that these things are used quickly. The defibrillators have voice prompts, they tell you exactly what to do. You just hit a button that says shock, and it shocks the person; you don't have to figure out how often; the machine does it for you.

ZAHN: Just very quickly, how do they account for the folks that did lose their lives when this defibrillator was used?

COHEN: Right, the doctors say not everyone was saved, and they say, you know what, some people can't be saved. When you have a cardiac arrest, even if you had one in the middle of an emergency room with all those trained people around you, sometimes people just can't be saved.

ZAHN: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks for covering so much territory for us this morning. Appreciate it.

COHEN: Thanks, Paula.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Defibrillator>


Aired October 17, 2002 - 08:46   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: A couple of health stories are in the news today. First, a new study finds that even untrained people can save the lives of heart attack victims by using a simple defibrillator. Now defibrillators are expected to pop up in public places all over the country, from airports to shopping malls. And we will have more on that in just a second. But first, I want to ask our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen about a report that could put to rest the big debate over lumpectomy versus mastectomy. She joins us live from Atlanta this morning.
What do you think, Elizabeth? Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL ANCHOR: Paula, good morning.

I think these are really two landmark studies about lumpectomies. There has been a big debate. There has been a big debate, when a woman has breast cancer, should doctors remove the entire breast, or just remove the lump? Two studies, one in U.S., one in Italy, both of them about 20 years long found that it didn't matter, that both were as effective at saving women's lives.

In fact, I will quote from an editorial in the journal, "The failure to observe the survival advantage of mastectomy after 20 years should convince even the most determined skeptics that mastectomy is not superior to lumpectomy for the treatment of breast cancer." So certainly the folks who wrote this, and the folks who wrote this editorial hope that the argument is over.

ZAHN: Let's see how doctors react to that news down the road. On to the issue of defibrillators. Tell us about this new study which shows they might be easier to use than we think.

COHEN: If you watch "ER" or one of those shows, you think, well, how could I use a defibrillator on someone? You must have to have all that training. And what this study found is that you don't, it's found that over the course of two years at three Chicago airports, 18 lives were saved by people using defibrillators, and these were people who had no training; they just picked it up and used it.

In fact, a study found in one case, that sixth graders trained to use them in a mock situation, that even they could figure out how to use them effectively. It's very important that these defibrillators are used quickly, which is why they have them. You can't always wait for the ambulance to get there or the emergency personnel. If they're used immediately, one study showed nearly 100 percent of people could be saved, if you wait four or five minutes, that survival rate goes down to 15 to 40 percent. If you wait 10 minutes or more, you wait, it goes down to like 5 percent, somewhere around there.

It's so important that these things are used quickly. The defibrillators have voice prompts, they tell you exactly what to do. You just hit a button that says shock, and it shocks the person; you don't have to figure out how often; the machine does it for you.

ZAHN: Just very quickly, how do they account for the folks that did lose their lives when this defibrillator was used?

COHEN: Right, the doctors say not everyone was saved, and they say, you know what, some people can't be saved. When you have a cardiac arrest, even if you had one in the middle of an emergency room with all those trained people around you, sometimes people just can't be saved.

ZAHN: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks for covering so much territory for us this morning. Appreciate it.

COHEN: Thanks, Paula.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Defibrillator>