title: Impacting sudden cardiac arrest in the home: a safety and effectiveness study of privately-owned AEDs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) remains a major public health problem. The majority of SCA events occur in the home; however, scant data has been published regarding the effectiveness of privately owned AEDs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study, initiated in 2002 under prescription labeling, continued with over the counter availability in 2004 and was completed in 2009. Surveillance methods included annual surveys, follow-up phone calls, media reports, and use queries upon order of replacement pads. AED owners reporting emergency use of the device were contacted for an in-depth interview, and the ECG and event data in the device's internal memory were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  25 cases were identified in which an AED was used on a patient in SCA. Two uses were on children. The SCA was witnessed in 76% (19/25) of the cases. In 56% (14/25), the patient presented in VF and at least one shock was delivered. All 14 patients who were shocked had termination of VF; 6 (43%) required more than one shock due to refibrillation. Shock efficacy was 100% (25/25) for termination of VF for all delivered shocks. Of the patients with a witnessed arrest who were shocked, 67% (8/12) survived to hospital discharge. There were no circumstances of unsafe emergency use of the AED or harm to the patient, responder, or bystanders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  People who purchase an AED for their home, even without previous AED experience, are able to use the device successfully in both adults and children. The high survival rate observed in this study demonstrates that lay responders with privately owned AEDs can successfully and safely use the devices.
authors.affiliation: Philips Healthcare, Bothell, WA, USA. dawn.jorgenson@philips.com
authors.forename: Dawn B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Jorgenson
authors.forename: Tamara B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Yount
authors.forename: Roger D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: P Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Mickey S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.forename: Lance B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Becker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000517:prevention & control*; D047548:Defibrillators / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006701:Home Nursing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061214:Patient Safety; D011446:Prospective Studies