HeartSine Honors Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivors

NEWTOWN, Pa., April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- HeartSine^® Technologies, Inc., a world leader in personal and public access defibrillators, today announced Forward Hearts, a new program to celebrate individuals who have been saved with a HeartSine Automated Electronic Defibrillator (AED).

Forward Hearts allows individuals who have survived a sudden cardiac arrest event as a result of a HeartSine defibrillator to save another's life by giving a HeartSine donated samaritan® 300P Public Access Defibrillator to the organization of their choice. The donation will be made in the name of the survivor, HeartSine and their distributor.

"We are so moved when we hear stories about people whose lives were saved thanks to our product," explained Marc Lawrence, senior vice president, HeartSine Technologies. "It was important for us to find a way to mark these events. What better way to celebrate such a positive outcome than by increasing the availability of these life-saving devices?" he said.

On March 20, HeartSine and Dr. Alan "Rico" Rich, a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivor from Lakeland, made the first Forward Hearts donation to Branscomb Auditorium at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. "Thousands of people come to Branscomb Auditorium at Florida Southern College every year for concerts, graduations, convocations and other events, and we hope that none of them ever suffers from sudden cardiac arrest," said Vice President of External Relations Dr. Robert H. Tate, Florida Southern College. "However, it is reassuring to know that this AED device is standing by to save a life if necessary.  We are profoundly thankful that an AED device saved the life of Dr. Rich, a distinguished physician, community leader and friend of Florida Southern College, and we are grateful to Dr. Rich and the Forward Hearts program for providing this life-saving AED for our campus and the many individuals who attend events in Branscomb Auditorium each year," he said.

Dr. Rich, a retired ophthalmologist, went into SCA while playing tennis at Grasslands Golf and Country Club. His life was saved by quick action from a fellow player in the adjacent court, Dr. Duane Baker. Dr. Baker began life-saving measures and immediately retrieved a HeartSine samaritan PAD 300P from the club's tennis pro and used it to shock Dr. Rich's heart within three minutes after his collapse.

About SCA; When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the heart stops pumping blood to the rest of the body (including the brain) and the victim quickly loses consciousness. CPR alone will not restart the heart. The American Heart Association recommends defibrillation within three to five minutes for the best outcome. After five minutes and for every minute thereafter, an individual loses 10 percent of their brain function due to loss of oxygen. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an SCA event occurs once every 34 seconds.

About HeartSine Technologies

The mission of HeartSine®, a world leader in personal and public access defibrillators, is to advance the deployment of life-saving defibrillation therapy for the treatment of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in non-traditional areas of care. The HeartSine samaritan® PAD (Public Access Defibrillator) is specifically designed to meet all of the demands of public access use. Our entire line of AED products includes clinically advanced SCOPE™ technology that optimizes the administration of lifesaving treatment. Our units are IP56 rated for durability and exceptional reliability to meet the unique environmental needs of public use, and they provide a lower total cost of ownership. HeartSine also offers a comprehensive portfolio of AED solutions that include planning, design, implementation and administration, enabling medical oversight, training and management of AED devices through a single point of contact.

HeartSine, Lifesaving Pure and Simple. For more information, please contact [email protected], call (866) 478-7463, ext. 112, or visit www.heartsine.com

121 Friends Lane
Suite 400
Newtown, PA 18940
Phone: 215.860.8100, ext. 112
Contact: Whitney Brostrom
[email protected]

SOURCE HeartSine Technologies, Inc.