Petralia Sottana (gro) A trip to the heights of the wooded Madonie in northern Sicily has become safer since two so-called defibrillators were installed at two locations of the municipality of Petralia Sottana, picturesquely situated on a rocky spur over 1000 meters high in the deep south of the province of Palermo. They are used as first aid devices when someone’s heart stops. This happens more often than one might think, and generally also because people are getting older and older (and because the heart is apparently not yet sufficiently informed and trained about this from an evolutionary point of view).
Over 200,000 times cardiac arrest occurs.
Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death, at least in industrialized countries, primarily heart attacks and circulatory defects in the brain area. Another major cause of death is cardiac arrest, in which the heart stops beating without any immediately recognizable damage to itself or the coronary environment. In Germany, as in Italy, cardiac arrests claim more than 100,000 lives per year.
Defibrillators can save lives.
In medical circles, it has long been agreed that more available defibrillators could save many lives.
The devices, which can be activated by built-in battery systems, are capable of restarting the beating of a heart that has lost its rhythm or is failing, and of saving lives by bridging the time until an emergency physician can provide professional help. That’s why doctors have been calling for quite a few years for so-called defibrillators to be installed at traffic hubs, such as busy intersections or train stations.
“Credito Cooperativo” sets a good example.
The cooperative bank “Credito Cooperativo San Giuseppe di Petralia Soprana” is now setting a good example by placing two defibrillators in the small town with its four magnificent, late medieval churches, which is located at an altitude of over 1000 meters. One rescue device was installed directly at the central Piazza del Populo, the second at the busy Madonnuzza intersection. The installation was attended by bank president Stefano Farinella and his deputy Croce Scelfo, as well as mayor Pietro Macaluso and his deputy Francesco Gennaro.