Balfoura Friend Levine - The Jewish Georgian

November-December 2006 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 5
On a quest to save lives
By Brian Katzowitz
increase the success rate of resuscitation
and survival through awareness, education,
It takes only 60 seconds to learn how to and CPR/defibrillator program implementa-
save a life. Unfortunately, for approximatetion,” Schatten said. “This is an opportunity
ly 330,000 U.S. adults who suffer sudden to start a culture of education with the
cardiac death each year, most people spend younger generation so that AED training
those 60 seconds doing something else. becomes commonplace.”
“You can teach someone to use an AED With the backing of a handful of physi-
(Automated External Defibrillator) in about cians, public health officials, and, hopefully,
a minute,” said Sam Schatten, M.D. “If Governor Sonny Perdue, Schatten is seek-
everyone knew how to properly use an AED ing to make CPR/defibrillator training
or employ CPR, the success rate of resusci- mandatory for teenagers before they receive
tation and survival would increase tremen- their driver’s licenses.
dously.”
“We also want to concentrate on making
As a physician, Schatten understands sure defibrillators are readily available in
the need for community awareness of sud- schools, nursing homes, churches, and synden
cardiac death, but he also has first-hand agogues and that every employee, from
knowledge of how quickly a celebratory principal to custodian, knows how to use
moment can turn into a near-tragic experi- them,” Schatten said.
ence.
Although Schatten and the committee
In December 2005, Schatten and his are facing many daunting challenges, such
wife, Janet, attended a bar mitzvah party. as funding concerns (the machines cost an
The first hours were spent enjoying the can- average of $1,200) and the public’s lack of
dle-lighting ceremony and celebrating on knowledge or interest, they are not alone in
the dance floor. After dancing the hora, their undertaking.
Schatten became light-headed and headed Project S.A.V.E., Sudden Cardiac
to the parking lot for some fresh air. He did- Death: Awareness, Vision for Prevention
n’t make it, collapsing on his way to the and Education for the School Community,
door. Fortunately, three physicians in atten- is a similar program coordinated by
dance that evening, Drs. Alan Fixelle, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The pro-
Marshall Levine, and Marvin Tark, sprung gram works to educate schools about the
into action. Unable to register a pulse, the many components of implementing an AED
physicians began performing CPR as the program.
crowd of hushed onlookers prayed for a “Just having an AED at the school is not
sign of breath.
enough,” said Robert Campbell, M.D., chief
After a very tense minute or two, medical officer at Sibley Heart Center and
Schatten’s pulse and breathing returned and Project S.A.V.E. director. “An effective
an ambulance transported him to Piedmont AED program should also provide ongoing
Hospital. Undergoing a series of tests, education for teachers, coaches, and admin-
Schatten was diagnosed with saddle pulistrators about the warning signs and causes
monary embolus, a blood clot that can cause of sudden cardiac death.”
a dangerous block in the pulmonary artery. While Schatten’s brush with death has
Over the following weeks and months, motivated him to help fill a gaping hole in
Schatten gradually moved toward full the local community health sector, he hopes
recovery and committed himself to not only that his efforts bring widespread attention to
improving his own health, but to improving the issue.
the public’s awareness of the number of “We want Atlanta and Georgia to be the
heart-related deaths that could be prevented. model for the rest of the country so that
Stemming from a need for education we’ll experience a nationwide decrease in
devoted to this issue, the Georgia CPR- the number of deaths that could have been
Defibrillator Committee was developed. prevented with just 60 seconds worth of
“Our goal for the committee is to education.”
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