Reviewing data from a nationwide AED registry, investigators in Copenhagen have found that “Optimization of automated external defibrillator (AED) placement and accessibility are warranted,” according to a study published in Resuscitation.
Researchers identified all OHCAs registered by mobile emergency care units in Copenhagen, Denmark (2008–2016). Information regarding registered AEDs (2007–2016) was retrieved from the nationwide Danish AED Network. They calculated AED coverage (AEDs located ≤200 m route distance from an OHCA) and, according to AED accessibility, the likelihoods of bystander defibrillation and 30-day survival.
Of 2500 OHCAs, 22.6% (n = 566) were covered by a registered AED. At the time of OHCA, <50% of these AEDs were accessible (n = 276). OHCAs covered by an accessible AED were nearly three times more likely to receive bystander defibrillation (accessible: 13.8% vs. inaccessible: 4.8%, p < 0.001) and twice as likely to achieve 30-day survival (accessible: 28.8% vs. inaccessible: 16.4%, p < 0.001). Among bystander-witnessed OHCAs with shockable heart rhythms (accessible vs. inaccessible AEDs), bystander defibrillation rates were 39.8% vs. 20.3% (p = 0.01) and 30-day survival rates were 72.7% vs. 44.1% (p < 0.001). Most OHCAs were covered by AEDs at offices (18.6%), schools (13.3%), and sports facilities (12.9%), each with a coverage loss >50%, due to limited AED accessibility.
“The chance of a bystander defibrillation was tripled, and 30-day survival nearly doubled, when the nearest AED was accessible, compared to inaccessible, at the time of OHCA, underscoring the importance of unhindered AED accessibility,” said the authors.
See article here.