Reprinted from Briefings: News From and About the People of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

In February, matters of the heart can be romantic – or deadly.

Consider that some 300,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur each year. Brain death and permanent death start to occur in just four to six minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest. Brain death, however, can be reversible if it’s treated within a few minutes with an electric shock, called “defibrillation,” to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat.

In 2004, Nelson Mullins began the process of installing automated external defibrillation (AED) units with the eventual goal of having one unit per floor per office. Purchasing and installing the units throughout all offices continues, but it’s an investment in equipment that Valorie Songer hopes never gets used.

“Fortunately, we haven’t had to use an AED on anyone, but there have been  occasions where it was ready to go if we needed it,” said Ms. Songer, the Firm’s Chief Administrative Officer.

On one occasion, a guest at an after-hours party in the Columbia office began complaining of light-headedness, and Columbia Hospitality Assistant Isma Boland retrieved the AED just in case it was needed. Doctors at the event attended to the guest and “were impressed that we had the units,” Ms. Songer said.

Operations Manager Guy Emory, who heads the defibrillator program, said the Firm began discussing the need to install the units in the late 1990s, “but they were not widely out there in the public, and there was concern about liability issues. Once we addressed the liability issues, the push began to get them in all offices.”

While training in their use is encouraged, anyone can use the AED devices in emergency situations. One published study has shown that untutored sixth graders were able to understand AED prompts and deliver the life-saving shocks in a timely manner. 

Training occurs every two years through the American Heart Association and offers traditional CPR instruction as well as training on AED use. Volunteers need no medical background. The AED technology interprets the heart’s rhythm and “decides” if a shock is needed. 

The AED device administers an electric shock through the chest wall to the heart. Built-in computers assess the patient’s heart rhythm, judge whether defibrillation is needed, and then administer the shock through adhesive electrode pads. Audible and/or visual prompts guide the user through the process. 

The course lasts approximately four hours, and certification lasts two years. Nelson Mullins covers the cost of training. Currently 83 attorneys and staff are certified, and a list of them is located on the LawPort intranet page at http://caeiis04/lawport/view.do?type=Site. In addition, each office’s floor plan on the LawPort page indicates the location of AED units by a “heart” symbol in red.

For more information on the program, contact Mr. Emory at 5523 or by e-mail.

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