UF student health care center CPR & safety training staff save a life

The use of an automated external defibrillator and fast-acting staff members saved the life of a University of Florida employee in late August.

When the employee collapsed at her desk,a co-worker took immediate action by calling 911. Gloria Gould, a Student Health Care Center employee, darted down the hall to the UF SHCC CPR & Safety Training Center and alerted instructors on duty.

Steve Johnson and Gina van Blokland, SHCC CPR instructors, responded. While van Blokland started cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Johnson grabbed an automated external defibrillator from the hallway in the CPR office. An AED is a device that detects a lethal heart rhythm and provides a shock to the victim if necessary. The instructors performed immediate CPR and shocked the victim twice before police and ambulance personnel arrived on scene.

"Every minute an unresponsive victim is not treated, the survival rate decreases by 10 percent," said Jon Duff, coordinator of the CPR and Safety Training Center. "This event shows how important CPR and AED training is on a campus this size. Events like this can happen anywhere and UF students, faculty and staff can play a critical role in the chain of survival by learning CPR."

UF first recognized the value of AED accessibility in saving lives almost a decade ago with the adoption of an AED policy by the University Environmental Health and Safety Committee. The foundation of that policy was the placement of an AED in every university police patrol car. UPD, along with Gainesville Fire Rescue, remains the primary emergency response for the UF campus. However, as AED costs have gone down, the lifesaving value of the AED is more widely recognized and the ease of use has increased, and many units have been voluntarily placed by departments.

UF Risk Management, in partnership with the SHCC and UPD, is using this case to review and refine AED approach, policies and procedures on campus.

"This incident demonstrates that with accessible placement and a prompt response, a life can be saved," said Glenn Ketcham, environmental health & safety risk manager. According to Ketcham, there are currently more than 35 AEDs located on campus and at IFAS research centers in addition to those maintained by the police, lifeguards and clinics.

Without immediate CPR, the use of an AED, and trained staff, the employee, who has returned to work part-time as of Sept. 15, might not have survived.

For more information about the SHCC CPR & Safety Training Center or to schedule a training class, call 352-392-1161, ext. 4283. Details about the center and classes offered can be found on the Web at http://www.shcc.ufl.edu/cpr/.