Shelby County adopts lifesaving inspections after employee dies from heart attack
Posted 10:31 pm, July 11, 2016, by Stephanie Scurlock
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Seconds count when you're having a heart attack.
In December 2014, a long-time Shelby County employee died after going into cardiac arrest while working at the Criminal Justice Center. Last May, WREG Investigator Stephanie Scurlock uncovered the lifesaving machines located in the county-owned building failed to work.
Scurlock is back on the case to see what's been done to ensure the Automated External Defibrillators work the next time they're needed.
A flashing green light should be seen at all times. There should also be an ear-piercing noise when the case is opened.
"That's a safety measure to ensure it's not tampered with and it will get someone's attention," said Dr. Ernestine Small with the Shelby County Health Department.
Both the green light and alarm signal in light of a medical emergency like cardiac arrest, these Automated External Defibrillators will work to jump-start a heart.
"That's the standard of practice. That's what's expected when you have AEDs, that you have regular checks to make sure the battery is operable," said Dr. Alisa Haushalter, the director of the Shelby County Health Department.
That's standard now, but in December 2014 it was not when long-time Shelby County Court clerk Marzine Pegues went into cardiac arrest in the courtroom. Witnesses told WREG deputies tried three defibrillators and none worked.
"I don't remember if that one was ever opened because at that point we had two that completely failed to work as they were supposed to work. So we just continued with the chest compressions until the paramedics arrived," Attorney Claiborne Ferguson told WREG in May 2015.
Pegues' family had no idea the defibrillators failed until a WREG investigation in May 2015 uncovered the problem.
County administrators admitted the batteries were dead. We saw no record of them being changed in the seven to eight years since installation, even though batteries only last about five years.
The county promised changes.
"It was like each division managed their own, so we made a decision that it's better that all of the AEDs and management and maintenance of those fall under one particular division, and it just made sense that would be the health department," Haushalter said.
Haushalter said Shelby County uses about a hundred AEDs throughout its buildings.
WREG asked her what the department is doing to prevent another failed defibrillator.
"At this time all of the AEDs are checked. Some of them are checked by health department staff and some by support services, but they're being checked on a regular basis, and that's being recorded."
Small oversees inspections. The CPR mask, gloves and, most importantly, pads and batteries are checked monthly. The information is documented and logged. The battery in the unit we saw her check is fine; the pads are almost outdated, which she said they are aware of.
WREG checked the AEDs on every floor of the Criminal Justice Center, the county building where Pegues worked. We found the green light flashing on every unit.
"They need to at least have one person be accountable instead of a lot of other people," said her daughter Robin Walton.
Walton is glad the AEDs are now checked monthly. It's something that wasn't done before her mother's deadly heart attack.
She said she believes the failed defibrillators caused her mother's death.
"I sure do. I sure do because it might have saved her life had one been working," said Walton.
The family filed a lawsuit against Shelby County government asking for an unspecified amount in damages. They're also hoping to finally get something else.
"The county itself, the mayor and all these other people hadn't written an apology, a letter saying they're sorry because my mother worked for them for 30-something years," said Walton.
Defibrillators are designed for a novice to operate; still, the county's new AED policy requires training for all employees. They'll also keep those monthly logs for two years.