Automated external defibrillators and simulated in-hospital cardiac arrests.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that pediatric residents would have shorter time to attempted defibrillation using automated external defibrillators (AEDs) compared with manual defibrillators (MDs).


METHODS
A prospective, randomized, controlled trial of AEDs versus MDs was performed. Pediatric residents responded to a simulated in-hospital ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest and were randomized to using either an AED or MD. The primary end point was time to attempted defibrillation.


RESULTS
Sixty residents, 21 (35%) interns, were randomized to 2 groups (AED = 30, MD = 30). Residents randomized to the AED group had a significantly shorter time to attempted defibrillation [median, 60 seconds (interquartile range, 53 to 71 seconds)] compared with those randomized to the MD group [median, 103 seconds (interquartile range, 68 to 288 seconds)] (P < .001). All residents in the AED group attempted defibrillation at <5 minutes compared with 23 (77%) in the MD group (P = .01).


CONCLUSIONS
AEDs improve the time to attempted defibrillation by pediatric residents in simulated cardiac arrests. Further studies are needed to help determine the role of AEDs in pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrests.
Rossano
Joseph W
JW
Department of Pediatrics, Lillie Frank Abercrombie Section of Pediatric Cardiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA. jrossano@bcm.tmc.edu
Jefferson
Larry S
LS
Smith
E O'Brian
EO
Ward
Mark A
MA
Mott
Antonio R
AR
D047548:Defibrillators; D004554:Electric Countershock / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008348:Manikins; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors