Bystander use of AEDs for witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests remains low despite legislative efforts to improve access to the devices, according to a new study.

Of 9,290 cases studied, bystander resuscitation was only performed in 61.3%.

Bystander use of automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, for witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests remains low despite legislative efforts to improve access to these life-saving devices at recreational facilities across the United States, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the University of Missouri-Kansas City reviewed how frequently bystanders used AEDs in 9,290 cases of witnessed cardiac arrest at recreational facilities, based on data from the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES). They further compared the frequency of AED use among states with and without enacted laws requiring the presence of AEDs on site at recreational facilities.

Although 46.8% of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest had shockable heart rhythms, bystander use of AEDs remained low across the country, with only 19% of bystanders using AEDs in AED-enacted law states, and 18.2% of bystanders using AEDs in non-law states, the JAMA study, published Jan. 2, found.

    • anton@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      16·
      6 months ago

      If you ever come into a situation where you need to use a defibrillator, just turn it on! Any modern defibrillator has a voice recording guiding you through every step that starts when you turn it on.

      On the outreach side, in Germany the first aid courses required to keep your drivers license certainly helps.

      • highenergyphysics@lemmy.worldEnglish
        7·
        6 months ago

        Also I will add that these AEDs also know when a shock is needed. If the victim doesn’t need a shock, the machine will not give one.

        The very worst case scenario is you stuck some stickers on an unconscious person while waiting for an ambulance.

      • agent_flounder@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        6 months ago

        I had no idea. Because there is no public outreach.

        My wife mentioned the CPR requirement in Germany. Excellent idea imo.

      • brianorca@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        6 months ago

        But that’s the point, if the public is not seeing AED use in the media, to see how simple it is, for some portion of people, it won’t cross their mind, even with the sign right there.