Executive Summary

Children as young as 12 years old with minimal training can use automated external defibrillators (AEDs) on cardiac arrest victims almost as quickly and efficiently as professional medical staff, says a report in the October issue of Circulation. A study, held at the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle, found that after one minute of instruction, the group of school children took 90 seconds on average to complete a defibrillation using the AEDs compared with 67 seconds for the paramedics. "The broader use of these devices by the public could save as many as 50,000 lives each year," said Dr Gust Bardy, who was involved in the clinical trial.