The Mercer County Health Department has obtained a Recreation Tax Grant to install more automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in the community. AEDs will be placed at the Mercer County Library, Mercer County Fair Barn and Extension Building, and Mercer County ball fields.
The Health Department reports that an AED is designed to analyze heart rhythm and deliver an electric shock to victims of ventricular fibrillation, with the aim of restoring the heart rhythm to normal.
The department notes that the chances of survival from sudden cardiac death diminish by 7 to 10 percent for each minute without immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or defibrillation. After 10 minutes, resuscitation is rarely successful.
