When someone collapses with Sudden Cardiac Arrest, an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance or police car is almost always called. If the person is defibrillated on the spot by emergency response personnel, he or she stands a good chance of recovery. If he or she has to be taken to hospital, the chance of recovery is slim. Incredibly, less than half of all ambulances, and almost no police cars, carry defibrillators. In order to increase the survival rate, we need to give a high priority to equipping all emergency response vehicles with defibrillators. As that happens, on-the-spot defibrillation will become the 'standard of care' that emergency responders are morally and legally required to meet.
One out of every thousand Americans will suffer a Sudden Cardiac Arrest this year. This means that lives can be saved by placing defibrillators in places where large numbers of people are to be found, such as:
- Stadiums
- Malls
- Institutions
- Large office buildings
- Apartment complexes
- Cruise ships
- Airplanes
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