Dear Dr. SerVaas: In reviewing the National Center for Early Defibrillation Web site, it looks like the intended users of AEDs in Indiana need to be "certified" in the use of the devices and in CPR. Can you imagine--standing by while a loved one has a sudden cardiac arrest because you weren't "certified"! I think common sense is underrated.
Amy Roesler
Fishers, Indiana
Dear Reader: Have no fear and be not fainthearted. Certifying AED users will never last. Studies have shown that sixth-graders can figure out an AED in just 30 seconds more than it takes emergency personnel to apply the shock. Can you imagine not letting a sixth-grader use an AED on a loved one if it became a life-and-death matter during a cardiac arrest? Kids are bright. The Children's Better Health Institute taught CPR to all third-graders at a local elementary school many years ago. One of these young students volunteered to teach CPR at the Children's Better Health Institute and is now in medical school.
Most Post readers agree that you shouldn't need certification to use an AED any more than you need to be certified to use a fire extinguisher.
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