State health department gets defibrillators

Friday, April 1st 2005, 6:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma State Department of Health will get 165 Automatic External Defibrillators today that can be distributed to fire departments and health agencies.

The device applies a brief electric shock to the heart in an effort to restore it to its normal heartbeat.

Doctor Michael Crutcher is the State Health Commissioner. Crutcher says cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death of Oklahomans.

He says officials hope that with the addition of these defibrillators, Oklahoma's response time to cardiac arrests can be improved and lives can be saved.

Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, killing one adult every one to two minutes.