MoI to install Automated External Defibrillators (AED) in public places

Reflecting the humanitarian and fatherly efforts of UAE president
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Wednesday, November 27th 2013 [ME NewsWire]

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – November 27, 2013  [ME NewsWire]

Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, instructed the Ministry of Interior to install the Automated External Defibrillators (AED) in the different public places across the country.

His Highness asserted that the initiative is in pursuance of the generous and fatherly efforts of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. It also reflects the dedication of His Highness, father of the Emirati family, towards every individual who lives on this prosperous land, which has become an oasis of security and safety for all.

Accordingly, the Emergency and Public Safety Department installed on Wednesday, the first of many devices at Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi, and carried out a hands-on training for the mall’s employees on how to operate the resuscitation device for the service of the mall’s visitors. The department is scheduled to install a similar device on Thursday at Burj Khalifa.   Other vital facilities across the country will be equipped with AEDs successively.

Local statistics have shown that death rates due to heart failure accounted for 61.45% in Abu Dhabi in 2010. This rate has increased to reach 66.95% in 2011 and 63.45% in 2012. It is noteworthy that defibrillators have achieved successful results worldwide; and helped decrease mortalities from 90% to 30% after defibrillators were installed in public places and within easy reach. 

Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan was briefed by a team from the Emergency and Public Safety Department at the Directorate General of Central Operations at the Abu Dhabi Police GHQ, on the importance of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and its role in reducing death rates due to sudden cardiac arrest outside hospitals.

His Highness gave his orders to provide free training for both Emiratis and residents of the UAE on how to use the new device that is safe and easy to use. This will be achieved through simplified training courses organized by the ministry to those wishing to receive training; schedules are to be announced later.

Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, Director General of Central Operations at the Abu Dhabi Police GHQ, confirmed the readiness of the Emergency and Public Safety Department to provide training for citizens and residents on how to operate the device, in a bid to reduce mortality due to cardiac arrest outside hospitals, raise first aid awareness among community members, and upgrade the standard of first aid services according to international standards.

Under the theme Initiative and Awareness Contribute to Rescue Lives, the Security Media Department will be launching an awareness-raising media campaign to acquaint the public with the defibrillator, how to operate it, and where it can be found.

Major General Al Raisi said: “The United Arab Emirates is one of the first countries in the region to popularize the use of this important device, after proving its efficiency in reducing death rates in countries that have adopted it. Worldwide, mortality rates due to sudden cardiac arrest account for more than 90%; using this device has decreased it to less than 30%.”

He added: “It is vitally important to use the defibrillator within five minutes of the sudden cardiac arrest, pending the arrival of emergency medical help. Chances of cardiopulmonary resuscitation are reduced by 10% with every minute that passes without a life-saving shock or medical attention; Brain injury is likely to happen if cardiac arrest goes untreated for more than five minutes.”

The defibrillator is used in cases of ischemia in a patient with suspected heart failure symptoms, if the person suddenly collapses or passes out, if his breathing and pulse are absent or irregular.

For his part, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Ibrahim Al Ameri, Head of the Emergency and Public Safety Department, said: “The defibrillator is easy and safe to use for the casualty and the operator.  It does not provide an electric shock until it analyses pulse and heart signals to detect a ventricular fibrillation that requires an electric shock.”

He added: “The device cannot be used on people who are conspicuous, breathe normally, or have a strong pulse. It can only be used by qualified individuals who have received adequate training on how to operate the device, on how to deliver advanced first aid, or accredited personnel with the authority to follow medical procedures in cases of ventricular fibrillation.

“The department is an international center accredited by the American Heart Association to provide high-level training on lifesaving techniques using Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillators. The Emergency and Public Safety Department is also ready to train and qualify human cadres to use the said device,” he continued.

On the other hand, Ali Al Shehhi, Director of Security and Safety at the Marina Mall praised this noble humanitarian initiative that reflects a commitment from the country’s leadership to ensure the safety of both citizens and residents alike. He referred to the case of a British woman who died last year due to a heart attack: “It is critically important to install defibrillators in public places, and provide training for as many people as possible on how to operate it in a bid to save those in need,” He continued.

Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior attended the presentation, along with Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, Director General of Central Operations at the Abu Dhabi Police; Brigadier Ali Khalfan Al Dhaheri, Director - General of the Headquarters Affairs at Abu Dhabi Police; and Colonel Saud Al Saadi, Director of the Secretariat of the Office of His Highness the Minister. Also present were Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Ibrahim Al Ameri, Head of the Emergency and Public Safety Department at the Directorate General of Central Operations; and Major Omar Ahmed Al Dhaheri, Chief of the Training Section at the Emergency and Public Safety Department.

Box1:

Survival rate as high as 90% when defibrillation is administered within the first minute of cardiac arrest Medical studies have reported a 90% survival rate when using an automated external defibrillator (AED) within the first minute of cardiac arrest. 50% would likely survive if an AED is used within five minutes of cardiac arrest, 30% within seven minutes and 4 -10% within the nine to ten minutes.

An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias in a patient and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electrical therapy which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm.

150 to 200 thousand lives are rescued annually using cardiopulmonary resuscitation devices in the United States,  where ventricular fibrillation cases account for 60-80% of the total number of cardiac arrest cases, out of which 75% occur outside hospitals.

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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Contacts

The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media

Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317

E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com