An area business is taking steps to help its community after an 11-year-old boy tragically died last May. Logan Aluminum of Russellville donated an automated electronic defibrillator to the Logan County Little League Association in memory of Caleb Slaton.

Slaton died after being hit in the chest by a baseball during practice knocking his heart of out of rhythm. Russellville Police will be managing the A.E.D. until the Little League Season starts. The defibrillator will stay on the field where coaches will be trained to use it.

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History of Defibrillation

• 1956 - First published reports of external defibrillation.
  
• 1962 - Controversy over benefits of DC vs. AC defibrillation.
  
• 1964 - Development of synchronizing defibrillation to EKG cycle.
  
• 1970 - Importance of early defibrillation first published.
  
• 1972 - Defibrillators using solid state technology developed.
  
• 1986 - Firefighters with basic training begin using AED's.

CPR vs. AED

• At present, for each 100 patients that arrive in the ER in cardiac arrest and have been treated with CPR alone: 95 die, 2-3 survive a few days, and 1-2 have a chance of full recovery.

• CPR works well on patients who have a primary breathing problem.

• CPR alone doesn't work well on victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

• For each minute elapsed after collapse, there is a 10 percent decrease in the chance of successful defibrillation.

• Many 911 EMS systems can't get to the victim in less than 10 minutes.

• Early defibrillation is the key to saving a cardiac arrest victim.

• Early defibrillation can lead to total recovery and a normal life.

• After 10 minutes have passed - it's too late.

• In the US, approximately 350,000 people die each year from heart disease - many of these people collapse unexpectedly.

• Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) - collapsing unexpectedly - can happen from an electrical current in the heart "going haywire."

• Many times, these victims are not having a heart attack.

• These victims need a lifesaving pulse of electricity called "defibrillation" to restart their heart - and can go on normally.

• AED's cannot save all victims of SCA, but when an AED is successful, the result can be dramatic return to a normal life.

  Source: www.defib.org contributed to this report