Welcome

To all of our valued distributor partners and manufacturer representatives: Welcome to a special edition of The Beat. October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Awareness Month. Did you know that last year more than 350,000 people in the U.S. were victims of sudden cardiac arrest and the overall survival rate was only 12%?¹

This month, we have filled our newsletter with articles, facts, and helpful downloads so that you can advise your customers on how to be fully prepared should there be an SCA event in their office or facility.

In addition, throughout October, we are holding a special contest for all of our MRs! To help each of you start the conversation with your customers, we have mailed a “Can I check your AED today?” pin. For additional details, please check our Marketing Toolbox section for information on how YOU can win a prize during SCA month.

In other news, we are pleased to introduce two new channel partner managers to the Public Safety sales team.

Brandon Jones has joined our team covering the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the lower half of New York State, including New York City. Brandon has been with ZOLL for three years and previously led the EMS North Eastern Region as a sales manager. Prior to ZOLL, he worked for Hologic Inc. for 15 years in many leadership capacities. He has a strong background in working with distribution channels from his previous employment where he managed two major partnerships with Henry Schein and McKesson/PSS. He can be reached at (732) 330-1725 or bjones@zoll.com.

Jeffrey Hoyt has also joined our team, and his territory includes the Pacific Northwest. Jeffrey comes to us with many years of experience in medical device sales; most recently he was a consultant for Cardiac Science, covering the distribution team for Western Canada. He is currently based out of Kirkland, Washington, and can be reached at (206) 940-7725 or jhoyt@zoll.com.

Please join us in welcoming Brandon and Jeffrey to the team. We have also included an updated territory map with our changes.

Please look for our next edition of The Beat when we celebrate American Heart Month in February, 2018. We hope that you continue to find our newsletter insightful and informative and that our topics help you in your conversations surrounding AEDs. Should you have any questions or subjects that you would like to see covered, please email us at distributorsupport@zoll.com. Meanwhile, we will continue to email important updates, announcements, and communications to you.

Sincerely,

The AED Marketing Team

¹“Statistical Update.” American Heart Association Website, www.cpr.heart.org/AHAECC/CPRAndECC/General/UCM_477263_Cardiac-Arrest-Statistics.jsp. Accessed 11 Aug 2017.

October Is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month

In 2016, more than 350,000 people in the US were victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), and the overall survival rate was only 12%.¹

Despite these startling statistics, SCA is often confused with another serious condition, a heart attack. Cardiac arrest differs in significant ways from a heart attack. In a heart attack, the blood supply to the heart muscle is suddenly blocked, resulting in the death of the heart muscle. Symptoms of a heart attack can vary; they may come on suddenly or start slowly and persist for hours, days, or weeks. Heart attack victims typically experience chest pain, discomfort in the back or jaw, nausea and/or vomiting, and typically remain conscious. Heart attacks are serious and can sometimes lead to SCA; however, SCA may occur independently from a heart attack and without warning signs.

Cardiac arrest can come on suddenly. The heart unexpectedly and abruptly stops beating properly when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions. This is usually caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF), in which the heart quivers and cannot effectively pump blood. The only effective treatment for VF is an electrical shock administered by an automated external defibrillator (AED) followed by high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

While the average age of heart attack victims is mid-60s, sudden cardiac arrest is unpredictable and can strike anyone, anywhere, anytime. Some risk factors include:

• Family history of cardiac arrest in a first-degree relative: two-fold increase in risk of SCA²
• Underlying coronary heart disease (CHD)³
• A personal or family history of inherited disorders that make you prone to arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm)³
• A personal history of arrhythmias³
• Heart attack³
• Heart failure³
• Commotio cordis—a term referring to SCA resulting from a blow to the chest
• Drug or alcohol abuse

Regardless of the cause, SCA results in death if not treated immediately. It can, however, be treated successfully with CPR, defibrillation, and advanced life support. Thus, access to AEDs is critically important to surviving SCA. For more information on SCA and the AED Plus®, please read our focus story.

¹“Statistical Update.” American Heart Association Website, www.cpr.heart.org/AHAECC/CPRAndECC/General/UCM_477263_Cardiac-Arrest-Statistics.jsp. Accessed 11 Aug 2017.
²Roger VL, Go AS, Lloyd-Jones DM. Executive Summary: Heart disease and stroke statistics-2012 update: A report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2012:125(1):188-197.
³National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

SCA: Do You Know the Facts

Approximately 50% of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) victims initially require de brillation. All require CPR. If you perform CPR immediately and use an automated external debrillator (AED) within minutes, you can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.

Good chest compressions are essential because they move blood throughout the body to protect vital organs. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends a compression depth of greater than two inches, but not more than 2.4 inches. The ZOLL® AED Plus® with integrated Real CPR Help® guides rescuers with audible and visual prompts to “Push Harder” or gives them positive reinforcement that they have achieved “Good Compressions.”

View the full infographic

ZOLL Gives Back

Each quarter ZOLL holds a drawing to win an AED Plus® to be donated to a school or charitable organization. This past quarter’s winner is Michael Rossi, principal at the Marshall Middle School in Billerica, Massachusetts. Below was his response to receiving our AED Plus:

“Thank you for the donation of the ZOLL AED Plus; it is gratefully accepted by our school community. The AED will be placed in our school cafeteria to ensure access during after-school events as well as the school day. While we hope that there is never an instance that would require the use of this item, we are fortunate to be prepared in the event it is ever needed. Your donation provides a sense of comfort knowing that we have the resources needed in the event of an emergency. Thank you for supporting our students and school community.”

Principal Michael Rossi holding the AED Plus® with two of the school nurses.

MR Award of Excellence

We are pleased to announce the ZOLL Manufacturer Representative Award of Excellence program. Each quarter we will recognize one exceptional public safety MR who has been nominated by members of the ZOLL channel sales team.

With great excitement, we are happy to reveal that the first winner of the Award of Excellence is Rick Solis of JDF Associates.

Here is what Mark Thompson, South Central Channel Partner Manager, had to say about Rick:

“Rick has a day-in-and-day-out commitment to the ZOLL AED Plus® product line. He is most responsive to any request; he has a great attitude and is consistently looking for new opportunities.”

Congratulations, Rick! We also want to thank each and every one of you for your continued dedication and support on promoting ZOLL products. We appreciate you.

Marketing Tool Box

Ensure that your customers are prepared during Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month. Throughout the month of October, we are holding a special promotion for all of our MRs. Just post a photo of yourself with an AED at your customer’s facility. Each picture taken automatically enters you into a weekly drawing to win a $100 gift card!

Here are the details:

• Download the Cluster app.*
• Take a picture of yourself or your customers with the AED in their facility.
• Upload each photo to our group “SCA Awareness Month” in the Cluster app from October 1–31.

*The Cluster app is free and is available within your app store. For additional information on our SCA Month promotion, please reach out to Distributor Support via phone (888) 851-8584 or email at distributorsupport@zoll.com.

A Special Offer For Your Customers!

*This updated guide replaces the previous version from September of 2011.

ZOLL On the Road!

A peek at the shows we will be attending:

Note: Our trade show calendar is updated frequently. Please check with your local channel partner manager to see the shows we have added.