Volunteers trained in CPR and use of automated external defibrillators increased survival after out of hospital cardiac arrest
- cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- electric countershock
- emergency medical services
- heart arrest
- voluntary workers
Q Do more patients with out of hospital cardiac arrest survive to hospital discharge when response teams of lay volunteers trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) also use automated external defibrillators (AEDs)?
METHODS
Design:
cluster randomised controlled trial (Public Access Defibrillation [PAD] Trial).
Allocation:
{not concealed}.*
Blinding:
blinded (data collectors and outcome assessors).
Follow up period:
to hospital discharge. Community units were involved for a mean 22 months.
Setting:
993 community units in 24 North American regions.
Patients:
patients ⩾8 years of age with out of hospital cardiac arrest.
Intervention:
993 community facilities (eg, shopping malls, recreation centres, hotels, and apartment complexes) were eligible for randomisation as a community unit, either individually or as a group if they had a pool of lay volunteer responders able to deliver an AED within 3 minutes to a person having cardiac arrest and could expect ⩾1 out of hospital cardiac arrest during the study period. Facilities …
