Quebec will soon have 1,000 defibrillators available in public spaces. Here's why that matters

The Quebec government is spending $2 million topurchase900 newautomated external defibrillators (AEDs) thatwill be installed in key public spaces across the province over the next three years.

Theproject, done in partnership with the Jacques-de-Champlain Foundation, follows a brief pilot projectin February that saw the installation of 100AEDs near ATMsin several banking institutions.

An AED isused to deliver an electric shock to the heart that jolts it back into action or back into a normal rhythm.

Health Minister Christian Dubsays the sooner the device can be used, the better the chances of survival.

"In the event of cardiacarrest, the first few minutes are crucial," he said in a Monday release announcing the government grant.

WATCH | How to use a public defibrillator:

How to use one of the 1K defibrillators Quebec is installing in public places

11 months ago

Duration 2:47

Advocates say the $2 million the province is spending on public defibrillators is money well spent, as they can save lives, especially when emergency services take too long to respond.

Jean-Philippe LaRose, a Montreal father of three and a researcher for Radio-Canada's television satirical show Infoman, says he's living proof that AEDs save lives.

He was only 37when he went into sudden cardiac arrest while playing hockey a sport he'd played almost every week since he was 15.

"About 15 minutesbefore the end of game, Ifelt dizzy and Ijust fell on the ground," he said of the 2017 incident.

LaRosesays what came next is a "big black hole" in his memory.

Later, he'dlearnhe'd beenclinically dead for seven minutes before one of his friends managed to bring back his pulse with the use of CPR and an AED one that had been installed in the gym just two months prior to the incident.

"It's theAED that saved my life," he said.

Now, almost six years later, LaRosecan't enter a crowded space, such as a restaurant, without noting whether it has an AED. He says Quebec needs more of them in these types of places, including grocery stores.

"It'sreally simpleto use it and when you know howto use it, you [can] save livesreally quickly," he said.

App to find nearest AED

Approximately 10,000 people suffer fromcardiac arrest in Quebec each year, the Health Ministry says.

In 2009,Dr. Franois de Champlain's father was one of them. It happened as hewas cycling in Quebec's Eastern Townships.

"Someone stopped and did CPR and that was great, but no one knew actually that there was a defibrillator about 200 metres away. Not even the call taker at 911,"de Champlain said.

His father died before an ambulance got to the scene some 27 minutes after the call.

That situation prompted deChamplain,an emergency physician and trauma team leader at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC),to create the Jacques-de-Champlain Foundation,a charitable organization dedicated to increasingthe survival rate of cardiac arrest victimsby optimizing access and use of AEDs.

According to the foundation, the survival rate for someone suffering from cardiac arrest decreases by seven to 10 per cent for each passing minute before defibrillation,

Meanwhile, if CPR is begun and a defibrillator is used in less than five minutes following a cardiac arrest, the chances of survival increase to 75 per cent.

That's why, in recent years, the foundation createda free mobile application which, using geolocation, allowsits users to locate the nearest AEDto them on a map. The app, called DEA-Qubec,also provides step-by-step directions on how to use the device.

The app uses data from the foundation's provincial AED registry, which aims to document information about all the AEDs located in public places in Quebec. The datais also integrated within the software of911 call centres so that responders can direct callers to the closest device.

"We're kindof chasing the AEDs across the province," de Champlain said, saying the work is done by volunteers.

Some 6,500 AEDs are currently listedon the registry and app users can register new onesthemselves.

The Quebec government is allocating another $1.5 million to support these kinds of technologicalactivities at the foundation.

'You can't go wrong' using an AED

De Champlain says while many people might feel uncomfortable or scared to use an AED on someone, "you can't go wrong" using one.

If you're unsure whether someone is actually incardiac arrest, the electrodes you stick on their chest will be able to tell you.

"It'sthe machine that will decide if an electric shock to restart the heart is warranted or not," he said, adding it will only provide the shock if it's required.

"So you can never do wrong. You can never put someone else's life in danger."

In Montreal, theaveragewait time for an ambulance for someone in cardiac arrest is about eight minutes. De Champlain says the only dangerous move is waiting too long to act.

"Anyone that keeps their nerve in a situation like that can save a life and be the hero of the day," he said.

He says the locations of the new AEDshave yet to be confirmed, but the ideal spaces will be those with long hours of operation andthat are well-known and easily accessible,such as dpanneurs, coffee shops, city buildings and even outside walls.