Atlantic HeartSmart AED installs heart-info kiosks at N.J. hospital

Atlantic HeartSmart AED, a division of the Atlantic Ambulance Corporation, recently unveiled informational kiosks that aim to educate hospital visitors about the dangers of sudden cardiac arrest and the importance of having defibrillators close by. The kiosks have been installed at New Jersey's Morristown Memorial and Overlook Hospital.

According to a news release, the two kiosks each display a Philips home automated external defibrillator, also known as AED, a battery and a set of the pads that would be used on a patient. Near the top of the kiosk is a monitor that plays a video that describes sudden cardiac arrest and explains how the AED is used. Atlantic HeartSmart AED created the kiosks and collaborated with Atlantic Health to place the kiosks in high-traffic areas of Morristown Memorial Hospital and Overlook Hospital.

According to the American Heart Association, the use of a defibrillator within a few minutes of the onset of sudden cardiac arrest can reverse its effects. In cities where defibrillation is provided within 5 to 7 minutes, the survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest is as high as between 30 percent and 45 percent. The kiosks also feature information on how patients, their caregivers and the general public can purchase defibrillators from Atlantic HeartSmart, an authorized distributor of the Philips HeartStart AED.

Lisa Salberg, founder of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, spoke at the unveiling.

"I am thrilled to see AED education and access made so understandable and accessible to the visitors of Atlantic Health Hospitals," Salberg said. "With greater understanding of AED's and more placed in homes, community centers, schools and places of business, we can begin to make greater strides toward the goal of lower deaths related to sudden cardiac arrest."