Don't ignore heart attack warning signs.

• Author: Zipes, Douglas
• Position: Neighborhood Heart Watch

Defibrillators save lives. And minutes count. Dr. Douglas Zipes, who is spearheading the Neighborhood Heart Watch initiative to place AEDs in communities across the country, recently heard from a colleague whose father had suffered a heart attack. Fortunately, the older man called for emergency medical assistance and collapsed only after paramedics entered his home. An AED promptly restarted his heart, and he is doing well after placement of stents and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).

Interestingly, the victim's wife was out of town when the heart attack occurred. The cardiologist is certain the AED-equipped paramedics...