Emergency dispatcher assistance decreases time to defibrillation in a public venue: a randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Emergency medicine
• Public health interventions
• Cardiovascular resuscitation

Background:

• Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survival depends on rapid defibrillation.
• Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are vital for bystander-initiated resuscitation.
• Optimizing AED accessibility in public venues is critical for improving outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of prearrival instructions detailing AED locations on defibrillation time.
• To assess the effectiveness of providing specific AED locations to untrained bystanders in a simulated emergency.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted in an urban shopping mall.
• Participants were tasked with retrieving an AED and performing a simulated defibrillation.
• The experimental group received prearrival instructions including the AED's specific location.

Main Results:

• The experimental group achieved a median defibrillation time of 2.6 minutes, significantly faster than the control group's 5.9 minutes.
• Ninety percent of the experimental group delivered a shock within 3 minutes, compared to 10.5% in the control group.
• Statistical analysis confirmed a significant reduction in time to defibrillation with location-specific instructions.

Conclusions:

• Prearrival protocols specifying AED locations in public buildings substantially decrease the time to simulated defibrillation.
• This strategy enhances the effectiveness of bystander-assisted resuscitation in public settings.
• Further research across diverse public venues is recommended to validate these findings.