TY - JOUR
T1 - Use of the automatic external defibrillator in homes of survivors of out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation
AU - Eisenberg, Mickey S.
AU - Moore, James
AU - Cummins, Richard O.
AU - Andresen, Elena
AU - Litwin, Paul E.
AU - Hallstrom, Alfred P.
AU - Hearne, Thomas
N1 - Funding Information:
From the Center for Evaluation of Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Medical Services Division, King County Health Department, and the Departments of Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. This study was supported in part by grant HS 04894 from the National Center for Health Services Research and Health Care Technology Assessment, Rockville, Maryland. Manuscript received September 16,1988; revised manuscript received and accepted November 7, 1988. Address for reprints: Mickey S. Eisenberg, MD, PhD, Center for Evaluation of Emergency Medical Services, 110 Prefontaine Place South. Suite 500, Seattle, Washington 98104.
PY - 1989/2/15
Y1 - 1989/2/15
N2 - This 57-month study evaluated the use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in the homes of high risk cardiac patients (survivors of out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation [VF]). The goal was to determine the utility of these devices by trained lay persons in actual cardiac arrest episodes. Ninety-seven survivors of out-of-hospital VF were enrolled in the study; 59 patients received AEDs, and 38 patients served as a control group. During the study period, 7 deaths occurred in the hospital without preceding out-of-hospital cardiac arrest or from noncardiac causes. There were 14 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, 10 in the AED group and 4 in the control group. There was 1 long-term survivor in the control group. In the AED group, among the 10 cardiac arrests for which the device was available, it was used in 6. Only 2 patients were in VF; 1 was resuscitated with residual neurologic deficits and survived several months. This study observed a small potential for AEDs to save high risk patients.
AB - This 57-month study evaluated the use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in the homes of high risk cardiac patients (survivors of out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation [VF]). The goal was to determine the utility of these devices by trained lay persons in actual cardiac arrest episodes. Ninety-seven survivors of out-of-hospital VF were enrolled in the study; 59 patients received AEDs, and 38 patients served as a control group. During the study period, 7 deaths occurred in the hospital without preceding out-of-hospital cardiac arrest or from noncardiac causes. There were 14 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, 10 in the AED group and 4 in the control group. There was 1 long-term survivor in the control group. In the AED group, among the 10 cardiac arrests for which the device was available, it was used in 6. Only 2 patients were in VF; 1 was resuscitated with residual neurologic deficits and survived several months. This study observed a small potential for AEDs to save high risk patients.
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U2 - 10.1016/0002-9149(89)90316-0
DO - 10.1016/0002-9149(89)90316-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 2916429
AN - SCOPUS:0024581704
VL - 63
SP - 443
EP - 446
JO - American Journal of Cardiology
JF - American Journal of Cardiology
SN - 0002-9149
IS - 7
ER -