After Mark Gudis of Westport saved the life of a student experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest at a Staples High School soccer game in 2015, the need for more publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) throughout the county had become apparent, and is being addressed thanks to support from Norwalk Hospital and Cardiac Science of Wisconsin.
Norwalk Hospital and the Gudis family have donated 100 Cardiac Science Powerheart G5 AEDs to five local communities ”” New Canaan, Norwalk, Weston, Westport, and Wilton ”” to enable anyone, from first-time users to professional rescuers, to quickly respond to a sudden cardiac arrest  incident.
“This donation creates the first regionalized public-access AED program in our area, in addition to training more individuals in CPR,” said Matt Soicher, Norwalk Hospital’s director of Emergency Medical Services. “There’s always a way to get an AED to somebody sooner, and that’s what we’re looking to do with this project.”
In October 2015 Gudis, a Norwalk Hospital trustee, was luckily carrying an AED in his car when a student went into cardiac arrest. The device was used to successfully return the victim”™s heart to a normal rhythm.
“We were very fortunate to have a favorable outcome,” Mark Gudis said. “Given this near-tragedy, and similar past occurrences in our communities, it is apparent we need more AEDs in our schools, on our athletic fields, and in our community centers.”
According to Soicher, approximately half of the units will be placed indoors at schools and sports facilities. The remaining units will be installed outdoors, in protective cabinets, for use at sports fields, parks, and golf courses. The Norwalk public beaches, at some distance from EMS services, will also have multiple AEDs.
The Gudis family and Norwalk Hospital have also partnered to provide CPR and AED training and certification to high school students and other members of these communities.
