Device Can Be A Lifesaver On Florida Golf Course
The ring tone had no urgency when David Sanchez picked up the phone in the Monarch Country Club golf shop in April. A phone, after all, has no ability to convey emotion.
But the voice on the other end was full of urgency: "Call 911. We've got a heart attack on No. 9."
The Palm City club's Florida head golf professional knew what to do.
Sanchez dialed 911 and put into action the Florida golf course's medical emergency plan that includes contacting emergency services, guards at the front gate of the community to let them know to allow ambulances to enter and police and club employees who might need to guide paramedics to the scene as quickly as possible.
Then Sanchez went for the automated external defibrillator (AED), the portable version of the heart paddles used by emergency medical technicians and hospitals to deliver a shock to a stopped heart in hopes of jump-starting it.
Despite the quick response and correct usage of the AED, the Florida golf course's member did not survive.
"It was pretty tough," Sanchez said. "It was real tough on the staff. We'd been through the training, and you hope it's going to work. But everybody stayed calm and did their role, just like in training. There was a registered nurse in the group playing behind, and we gave (the victim) every chance to survive that we could."
AEDs are becoming more common in public places in hopes of improving the chances of living for victims of sudden cardiac arrest. In recent years, local Florida golf courses have purchased the machines and put their staff through cardiopulmonary resuscitation and AED training courses so that they are prepared in case of an emergency.
Florida golf courses are the fifth most likely public location for a heart attack, according to a 2001 study by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Sudden cardiac arrest also is the No. 1 killer on Florida golf courses, which often are large, with remote locations and poor accessibility for emergency personnel.
Of 42 Treasure Coast golf courses surveyed, 66 percent have a least one AED on the property, and some have as many as three placed at different locations for quicker response to emergencies. Many golf courses with just one machine have a card or book outlining the quickest routes to each hole to optimize response time.
With the average age of club members and players skewing to the 50s and older in the area, many Florida courses see having an AED as a smart precaution.
"We're an over-55 community so we just thought it would be a good thing to have," said Cathleen Whelan, club manager at Hobe Sound's Eaglewood Country Club, which just got an AED last week. "We want to help our community as much as we can."
Although the majority of courses with AEDs haven't had to put them into action, a few have.
Bob Komarinetz, director of golf at Sandridge Golf Club in Vero Beach Florida, said the course has used its AED, although the victim did not survive. Komarinetz said a death from sudden cardiac arrest about nine years ago prompted the club to buy an AED.
In some places, such as New York City, courses are required to have the machines on site. But in Florida there is not a requirement.
Still, Dr. Amy Eversole, a cardiologist with the Stuart Cardiology Group, said she supports courses having them.
"They're simple to use and can be life saving," Eversole said. "We definitely see a couple of patients during the (tourist) season who have had cardiac arrest on the golf course. The quicker a person can receive therapy, the better. I think (the use of an AED) would considerably improve the chances of survival."
Sanchez said he agrees, even though he and the responding paramedics couldn't save the life of Monarch's member.
"Even though you can't always have the situation work out on the Florida golf course, it's nice to know (the AED is) there," he said. "We have one more way to save a person's life, and that's a great feeling."
Automated extern
But the voice on the other end was full of urgency: "Call 911. We've got a heart attack on No. 9."
The Palm City club's Florida head golf professional knew what to do.
Sanchez dialed 911 and put into action the Florida golf course's medical emergency plan that includes contacting emergency services, guards at the front gate of the community to let them know to allow ambulances to enter and police and club employees who might need to guide paramedics to the scene as quickly as possible.
Then Sanchez went for the automated external defibrillator (AED), the portable version of the heart paddles used by emergency medical technicians and hospitals to deliver a shock to a stopped heart in hopes of jump-starting it.
Despite the quick response and correct usage of the AED, the Florida golf course's member did not survive.
"It was pretty tough," Sanchez said. "It was real tough on the staff. We'd been through the training, and you hope it's going to work. But everybody stayed calm and did their role, just like in training. There was a registered nurse in the group playing behind, and we gave (the victim) every chance to survive that we could."
AEDs are becoming more common in public places in hopes of improving the chances of living for victims of sudden cardiac arrest. In recent years, local Florida golf courses have purchased the machines and put their staff through cardiopulmonary resuscitation and AED training courses so that they are prepared in case of an emergency.
Florida golf courses are the fifth most likely public location for a heart attack, according to a 2001 study by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Sudden cardiac arrest also is the No. 1 killer on Florida golf courses, which often are large, with remote locations and poor accessibility for emergency personnel.
Of 42 Treasure Coast golf courses surveyed, 66 percent have a least one AED on the property, and some have as many as three placed at different locations for quicker response to emergencies. Many golf courses with just one machine have a card or book outlining the quickest routes to each hole to optimize response time.
With the average age of club members and players skewing to the 50s and older in the area, many Florida courses see having an AED as a smart precaution.
"We're an over-55 community so we just thought it would be a good thing to have," said Cathleen Whelan, club manager at Hobe Sound's Eaglewood Country Club, which just got an AED last week. "We want to help our community as much as we can."
Although the majority of courses with AEDs haven't had to put them into action, a few have.
Bob Komarinetz, director of golf at Sandridge Golf Club in Vero Beach Florida, said the course has used its AED, although the victim did not survive. Komarinetz said a death from sudden cardiac arrest about nine years ago prompted the club to buy an AED.
In some places, such as New York City, courses are required to have the machines on site. But in Florida there is not a requirement.
Still, Dr. Amy Eversole, a cardiologist with the Stuart Cardiology Group, said she supports courses having them.
"They're simple to use and can be life saving," Eversole said. "We definitely see a couple of patients during the (tourist) season who have had cardiac arrest on the golf course. The quicker a person can receive therapy, the better. I think (the use of an AED) would considerably improve the chances of survival."
Sanchez said he agrees, even though he and the responding paramedics couldn't save the life of Monarch's member.
"Even though you can't always have the situation work out on the Florida golf course, it's nice to know (the AED is) there," he said. "We have one more way to save a person's life, and that's a great feeling."
Automated extern
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