New life-saving devices for heart-attack victims installed on base Published Feb. 20, 2013 By Airman 1st Class Frank Casciotta 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 71st Medical Operations Group has added 12 new heart attack rescue devices called automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, in seven buildings on base. "Having the AEDs more readily available improves the overall safety of base personnel," said Oscar Jacobs, the training manager and basic life support program director for the 71st MDG. AEDs have electrode pads that apply to a person's bare chest and will automatically assess heartbeat rhythms to determine whether or not an electric shock will correct their heart rate. "The machine does most of the work," said Jacobs. "Instructions on the box tell you how to hook the machine up to someone. "People do not need to be trained to use them," said Jacobs. "Once the machine is turned on and the pads are in place, it will give voice commands to take you through the steps." A study on the effectiveness of having AEDs readily available was published in The New England Journal in 2002. The study looked at 18 individuals who suffered cardiac complications treatable by AEDs. Out of those 18, 11 survived. Of those 11, six were treated by untrained bystanders. The new AEDs at Vance are located in the Armed Forces Reserve Center, the Health and Wellness Center, the aerospace physiology unit, the Collocated Club, the Commissary, the Exchange and Buildings 200, 288 and 500.