Your decision where to have your next meal could possibly save your life -- since a local restaurant group is learning to use defibrillators to save their diners. NY1’s Health reporter Kafi Drexel filed the following report.
Most doctors might tell you that having a steak for lunch won't do much for your heart health, but where you eat that steak just might.
One group of Midtown Manhattan restaurants has defibrillators on their premises to aid customers who are suffering a heart attack.
While most restaurant professionals are well-schooled in what to do if a diner is choking, the Serafina Restaurant Group wants to save a customer's life in the event of a heart attack.
“We are in the hospitality business, and it's our job, and we feel like it is our responsibility to intervene,” said Fabio Granato, co-owner of Serafina Restaurant Group.
The group, which runs Serafina, Geisha and Brasserie Cognac, is teaming up with experts from New York Downtown Hospital to make sure the owners, managers and waiters are properly trained in dealing with sudden cardiac arrest, the nation's top killer.
“It is about being ready in our restaurants. Cognac first, Geisha second, Serafina immediately after, where 10, 15, 20 employees are actually trained in CPR and cardiac arrest,” said restaurant co-owner Vittorio Assaf. “I think we owe it to all of our customers and it should become in the future mandatory in any restaurants in New York City.”
State law requires most public places where there are more than 1,000 people at a time to have a defibrillator, but health professionals say it is a good idea to have the equipment on-hand anywhere that large groups gather.
“Sudden cardiac arrest can occur any time, any place,” said nurse Linda Ruppert of N.Y. Downtown Hospital. “If you are in the hospital, we would shock the heart to stop the chaos. And that's what the automated external defibrillators -- the AED -- is all about. It is a computerized machine that tells people who have been trained in their use what to do.”
Doctors say what they are doing here might not only make for a more pleasant dining experience, but it also might help to save thousands more lives.
“Right now, there are 340,000 people every year in the U.S. that suffer cardiac arrest. With widespread deployment of defibrillators and training, we can see an additional 40,000 survive every year,” said Sarah Gillen of the American Heart Association.
That -- and maybe remembering to eat those steak frites in moderation.
- Kafi Drexel
July 22, 2008
Restaurants Now Aid Diners Through Heart Attacks
Kafi Drexel
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