Widespread Public Defibrillators May Save Lives

By Serena Gordon, Bloomberg BusinessWeek

The availability of public automated external defibrillators (AEDs) increases the odds of surviving a heart attack with little neurological consequences, suggests new research.

In Japan, where AEDs are available nationwide, a study found that about 14 percent of people who had bystander-witnessed cardiac arrest from an irregular heart rhythm survived with a good neurological outcome. By contrast, 31.6 percent of those given a shock from a public-access AED survived with minimal neurological consequences.

In addition, the study found that bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was also associated with better outcomes.

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