[Defibrillation with an automatic external defibrillator outside the hospital: a life-saving, but restricted treatment?].

Application of the automatic external defibrillator can improve the chance of success during resuscitation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, because lay persons can defibrillate awaiting the arrival of the ambulance. Defibrillation is mentioned in the Dutch Individual Health Care Professionals Act as a precluded action. Defibrillation with an automatic external defibrillator should be excluded from the list of precluded actions, because application is almost 100% safe and because the subject is not within the scope of the law which is restricted to professional activities and non-emergency actions. Defibrillation with an automatic external defibrillator is acceptable.