Danish Officer Serving in Afghanistan Saved with AED Plus

Soldier AED Plus July 29, 2011 — The Danish military publication Hæren reported that the ZOLL AED Plus^® used on a Danish officer was vital in saving the soldier’s life. The 48-year-old was working out on a rowing machine in the fitness tent at Camp Price, a Danish post, when he collapsed in sudden cardiac arrest. The employee supervisor and Danish guards immediately sprang into action, starting CPR and grabbing one of the two automated external defibrillators (AEDs) mounted on the gym wall. It took three shocks along with CPR to get the soldier’s heart pumping.

Danish nurse Jacob Lundborg, who had been in tent exercising when the event occurred and assisted in the rescue, said, "If we had not had the defibrillator within reach of the camp, the officer would not have survived. There is no shadow of doubt that the defibrillator was quite vital for the positive outcome."

Less than half an hour after the officer collapsed, he was on his way to the field hospital at Camp Bastion in a helicopter. He had another cardiac arrest en route but was again brought back to life. After a few days at the field hospital, the Danish officer was stable and then flown to Denmark where he underwent a series of additional tests.

The ZOLL AED Plus is the same type found in military installations in Denmark.