Joel Scott knows firsthand that automated external defibrillators save lives. The 27-year-old nearly died in Mexico two years ago when he went into cardiac arrest while on a whitewater adventure trip.
"I was kayaking down a river with my brother, and my heart stopped. Luckily, there was a defibrillator in the raft at the side of the river," Scott told CTV's Canada AM Thursday.
"My brother pulled me out, dragged me to shore, they shocked me and that's why I'm here today."
Dr. Marco Di Buono, the director of research for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, says a quick response with an AED can save lives.
"A few more minutes, and there would have been no chance of survival for Joel," says Di Buono.
That's why the HSFO is urging the passage of a new bill undergoing second reading this week in the Ontario legislature.
Bill 41, The Defibrillator Access Act, would make it mandatory to have AEDs installed in public spaces such as schools, fitness facilities and hockey arenas.
If passed, Bill 41 would be the first legislation of its kind in Canada.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation has been advocating for this proposed law since 2006 and is pleased that MPP Ted McMeekin has introduced the private member's bill again.
The foundation notes that with government, corporate and community partners, almost 2,200 AED units have been installed in public facilities across the province. They estimate that the devices have saved 22 lives. But they say many more could be saved if the AEDs were mandatory.
Di Buono notes that among the 40,000 cardiac arrests that occur every year in Canada, the average chance of survival is only about one in 20.
"The conservative estimate is that if you use an AED, that jumps to one in two chance of survival. The key is getting to one quickly, because every minute that goes by, your chances of survival decrease by an additional 10 per cent," he said.
Di Buono says it's so simple to use an AED, they're almost foolproof. The machines guide the user step by step on how to position the device on the patient and when to begin chest compressions and breaths. What's more, so-called "Good Samaritan" laws protect users from civil litigation if the devices are used incorrectly, he notes.
