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AEDs & Oxygen in Malls Saves Lives - By Julie Schaeffer

Last year, Kravco Company placed AEDs and emergency oxygen in malls around the country (see "Pennsylvania's Breath of Fresh Air," Last Word, March 2000 JEMS). The company has documented more than 165 uses of the AEDs and emergency oxygen, says Peter Goldman, MD, medical liaison for the project.

The Medtronic Physio-Control LIFEPAK 500 AED and TXO2® AUTOMATED First Aid Oxygen unit (which Goldman invented and brought to Kravco for use with its AED) are housed in a fire-extinguisher-like cabinet for use by trained mall employees.

"We have more than 165 documented uses, and the oxygen is getting used much more than the defibrillator," says Goldman. "In fact, from December 1999 until now, there have been no defibrillations at Kravco."

However, Goldman says Kravco has solid evidence that four lives have been saved by administering oxygen early in the cardiac arrest process.

Goldman didn't expect that result. The training program taught mall management and security employees to use both pieces of equipment. But he understands why it's happening. "Most emergencies are not cardiac arrests," he explains. "Employees pulled out the defibrillator, and it said a shock wasn't indicated—but a lot of people still needed oxygen."

Kravco is getting some attention for its visionary placement of the units in malls. In 2000, Kravco won two Maxi awards—given by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) to individual companies, malls and mall groups—for the equipment's installation and usage.

"I think it's an inevitability that this equipment will be in every shopping mall, " says Goldman. "Given the experience we've had, I don't see how people could not do it."

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