What We Do

KIDSHEART wants to ensure every school in in Canton Zug, Switzerland is supplied with necessary AEDs (defibrillator equipment) and the proper training in Basic Life Support and the use of AEDs. Once we have achieved this goal, we want to expand to more cantons within Switzerland.

We work with individuals, businesses, organisations of all types and sizes to raise funding to reach these goals.

Sadly children and young people can suffer sudden cardiac arrest just as well as the older population.

Medical experts believe many children could be saved if a defibrillator is used within minutes of collapse. However, there is currently no National system in place in Switzerland to ensure defibrillators are located on school premises.

Protect your children by making a defibrillator available on school premises to restart the heart if a pupil, teacher, parent or visitor suffers sudden cardiac arrest.

For each CHF100,000 we raise, we plan to donate 20-25 AEDs to schools within Switzerland and to facilitate the initial training of up to 5 staff at each school. We work swiftly and efficiently in order to donate as many AEDs as quickly as possible.

You don’t have to be medically trained in order to use an AED. With simple audio and visual commands, AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layman. In addition the use of AEDs is taught in many first aid, first responder, and basic life support level CPR classes.

An automated external defibrillator ("AED") is a portable device used to administer an electric shock to the heart and restore the heart's normal rhythm during sudden cardiac arrest. Ventricular Fibrillation, the abnormal heart rhythm that most often leads to sudden cardiac arrest, is treatable. If the heart can be shocked quickly with an AED, a normal heart rhythm may be restored.

In the past, defibrillators were complicated and cumbersome. Only medical professionals with extensive training in heart rhythm interpretation could use them. Today, defibrillators used in public places and in the home are automated, portable and easy to use. They are no longer limited to emergency rooms and are now placed in airports, schools, offices, train stations, gyms, and most recently in private homes.

An AED consists of a small computer (microprocessor), electrical circuitry, and adhesive electrode pads. The electrodes collect information about the heart's rhythm. The microprocessor interprets the rhythm. If the heart is in ventricular fibrillation, the microprocessor recommends a defibrillating shock. The shock is delivered by way of the electrode pads, through the victim's chest wall, and into the heart. The shock stuns the heart momentarily, stopping all activity. This gives the heart a chance to restart normal electrical activity and resume beating effectively.

While AED and CPR training are available and recommended for those responsible for managing a public access to de-fibrillation program, training is not required to use an AED. These machines have voice prompts to easily assist a novice at successfully using the device. It is important for bystanders who witness the collapse of an Sudden Cardiac Arrest victim to act quickly. If a person does not need the shock of an AED, the machine will not deliver a shock. It is not possible to hurt someone with an AED; they can only be used to save someone’s life.

It is essential that de-fibrillation be administered immediately following the cardiac arrest. If the heart does not return to a regular rhythm within 5-7 minutes, this fibrillation could be fatal. If de-fibrillated within the first minute of collapse, the victim's chances for survival are close to 90 percent. For every minute that de-fibrillation is delayed, survival decreases by 7 percent to 10 percent. If it is delayed by more than 10 minutes, the chance of survival in adults is less than 5 percent.