A link between emergency dispatch and public access AEDs: potential implications for early defibrillation.

BACKGROUND

Public access defibrillation can improve survival but is involved in only a small fraction of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. One approach to increase involvement is to couple emergency dispatch with mapping technology to identify public access automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that are on-site or nearby.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective observational cohort investigation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who received dispatch by a community dispatch center between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2009. The dispatch system is linked to the public access AED registry. The technology enables dispatcher alert of an on-site AED and the potential to alert for an AED within 0.1 mile. We report the observed and potential frequency of AED involvement.

RESULTS

Of the 763 cardiac arrest events, 4.2% (32/763) had an AED applied by non-EMS persons, 1.3% (10/763) by police and 2.9% (22/763) in layperson settings. Among the remaining 731 where an AED was not applied, 8.1% (59/731) had an AED identified through dispatch; 18 with an AED on-site and an additional 41 with an AED within 0.1 mile. When restricting to ventricular fibrillation arrests, 8.9% (16/179) had an AED applied by non-EMS persons, 2.8% (5/179) by police and 6.1% (11/179) in layperson settings. Among the remaining 163 where an AED was not applied, 11.7% (19/163) had an AED identified through dispatch; 9 with an AED on-site and an additional 10 with an AED within 0.1 mile.

CONCLUSION

A working link between emergency dispatch and an AED registry may provide an opportunity to improve resuscitation.