Importance of Defibrillators Highlighted by Kara Kennedy's Death at Gym

Could Kara Kennedy's death on Saturday have been prevented by the immediate use of a defibrillator?  Kennedy was reportedly found unconscious in the steam room at her gym, but gym employees wouldn't comment on what efforts were used to save her.  An employee at the gym stated that the gym owned an automatic external defibrillator, and had staff trained to use it, in accordance with the law in the District of Columbia. 

According to Craig Goldenfarb, Chairperson of the AED Defibrillator Litigation Group of the American Assocatiation for Justice, many lives are saved across the country by using defibrillators in a timely manner.  If a defibrillator is used within the first minute, it has been shown that the likelihood of survival is more than 90 percent.  Survival rates drop by 10 percent for every minute of delay.  Goldenfarb has represented clients who could have been saved had defibrillators been used, and he emphasizes that just having the defibrillator on site is not sufficient; it must be accessible and staff must know where it is located in an emergency.

For more information, contact Craig Goldenfarb at 1-800-GOLD-LAW.