title: Automated external defibrillator use for in-hospital emergency management.
abstract: The in-hospital spread of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) is aimed to allow for a shock-delivery within three minutes. However, it has to be questioned if the implementation of AED alone really contributes to a 'heart-safe hospital'. We performed a cohort study of 1008 in-hospital emergency calls in a university tertiary care hospital, analysing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) cases with and without AED use. In total, 484 patients (48%) had cardiac arrest and received CPR. Response time of the emergency team was 4.3 ± 4.0 minutes. Only 8% percent of the CPR cases had a shockable rhythm. In three of 43 placements a shock was delivered by the AED. There were no differences in survival between patients with CPR only and CPR with AED use. Our data do not support the use of an AED for in-hospital CPR if a professional response team is rapidly available.
authors.affiliation: Anaesthetist, Intensivist, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huschak
authors.affiliation: Anaesthetist, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dünnebier
authors.affiliation: Anaesthetist, Intensivist, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: U X
authors.initials: UX
authors.lastname: Kaisers
authors.affiliation: Department for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huschens
authors.affiliation: Intensivist, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bercker
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D015331:Cohort Studies; D047548:Defibrillators; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000628:therapy*; D057209:Hospital Rapid Response Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015996:Survival Rate; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: AED; automated external defibrillator; cardiac arrest; cardiopulmonary
  resuscitation; in-hospital; resuscitation