New law could help increase the use of defribrillators

Congress has passed legislation American Red Cross officials say will increase the chances of surviving a heart attack. Sue Triplett of the Central Iowa Red Cross Chapter says the legislation is called the “Cardiac Arrest Survival Act.”.The Act allows untrained people to use automated external defibrillators on heart attack victims without fear of being sued. Triplett says the devices use an electronic shock to restart the heart. She says every minute that goes by without restarting the heart decreases the chance of survival by 10-percent.A state panel of medical experts last month recommended widespread use of automated external defibrillators. The panel, though, says only people with proper training should use the devices. Last spring, the chairman of the Iowa Republican Party was visiting the state capital when his heart stopped. It was re-started by a police officer who used a defibrillator.