Lincoln Adds AEDs to Help Fight Cardiac Arrest

The Lincoln Police Department is adding 46 new defibrillators in marked patrol cars. 70 new defibrillators will be added on the streets of Lincoln as well.

These automatic external defibrillators, or AEDs, are used to combat cardiac arrest, which is one the most time-sensitive health concerns. Every minute a cardiac arrest patient doesn’t receive attention, their chance of survival decreases 10%, according to Lincoln Fire and Rescue research.

Scott Wiebe, the emergency medical services supervisor at Lincoln Fire and Rescue, said bystanders play a vital role in saving the lives of cardiac arrest patients.

“Bystander intervention, i.e. bystander chest compression and AED use prior to the arrival of Lincoln Fire and Rescue, has exponentially larger chances of survival," Wiebe said. "For instance, last year if an automatic external defibrillator was applied and a patient was shocked prior to the arrival of Lincoln Fire and Rescue, 100% of those patients survived. So, pretty cool stuff.”

Lincoln emergency services have doubled the chances of survival for cardiac arrest patients and bystanders have played a large role, the research shows. Wiebe also said the Pulse Point app, which notifies bystanders of cardiac arrest reports within a quarter mile, has also helped Lincoln’s efforts to combat cardiac arrest.