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  • An automated external defibrillator in the home did not reduce all-cause mortality in patients at risk of cardiac arrestCommentary

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An automated external defibrillator in the home did not reduce all-cause mortality in patients at risk of cardiac arrest

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ebn.11.4.113

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    G H Bardy

    Dr G H Bardy, Seattle Institute for Cardiac Research, Seattle, WA, USA; gbardy@sicr.org

    QUESTION

    In stable patients at increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest, does having an automated external defibrillator (AED) in the home reduce all-cause mortality compared with training in usual emergency procedures?

    METHODS

    Design:

    randomised controlled trial (Home Automated External Defibrillator Trial [HAT]).

    Allocation:

    {concealed}.*

    Blinding:

    blinded (outcome adjudication committee).

    Follow-up period:

    median 37 months.

    Setting:

    178 clinical sites in the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Germany.

    Patients:

    7001 patients (median age 62 y, 83% men) who had had anterior-wall myocardial infarction, were not candidates for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy, and had a spouse or companion at home who was willing and able to perform the study interventions.

    Intervention:

    provision of an AED for home use (n = 3495) …

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    Footnotes

    • Source of funding: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Philips Medical Systems; Laerdal Medical.