AED Saved a Marathon Runner on the Road in Okayama

Marathon is a trying sport no beginners should just give a try to. Here's an episode to show you how right it is.

On November 8 in Okayama, the First Okayama Marathon 2015 started just as any other marathon races participated this time by the legendary woman marathoner Yuko Arimori.

All was well till about 11 o'clock, a male runner in his 50s suddenly collapsed at 21 km point in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. Collapsing into such a state is bad enough while seated or mildly walking, Collapsing while running is exceptional and some emergency treatment was called for.

The NPO Rescue Okayama had automated external defibrillators placed at every kilometer up to 40 kilometers and at every 500 meters thereafter.

The male runner was immediately treated with AED and barely escaped death. He was then was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and as of this writing he is on his way to recovery.

AED automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and treats them through defibrillation. Defibrillation stops the arrhythmia and lets the heart reestablish an effective rhythm.

AEDs are designed simple enough for the layperson to use, and the use of AEDs is taught in many first aids.

Marathon organizers take every precaution necessary to deal with such accidents, but this is probably the first case in which an AED actually helped save running marathoners.

Prior to the race, students of Okayama Univ. of Science, the department of science, applied physics, invited clinical engineers and nurses from outside the campus for a lecture on chest compression and the use of AEDs. The students had organized a rescue team composed of nine in StandBy AED team and two in Bicycle Team.