Where to Place Public Access Defibrillators in Residential Areas?

Placing defibrillators in areas in which residents have the highest risk for cardiac arrest is intuitive and also might be cost-effective.

Placing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in homes is expensive and of no proven benefit (JW Emerg Med Apr 11 2008). Researchers reviewed the records of 4828 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 1994 and 2005 to determine whether demographic characteristics could identify high-risk residential areas, defined as 100 m × 100 m areas where at least one OHCA occurred every 5 years (the incidence recommended by the American Heart Association for placement of AEDs).

Analysis of the 3554 OHCAs (74%) that occurred in residential areas indicated that they occurred more frequently in residential areas where population density was high and income and educational levels were low. Areas with the highest density a…

Reviewing Author

J. Stephen Bohan, MD, MS, FACP, FACEP

Disclosures

RoyaltiesKlint Law Firm

Editorial boardsCritical Decisions in Emergency Medicine

J. Stephen Bohan, MD, MS, FACP, FACEP

Disclosures

RoyaltiesKlint Law Firm

Editorial boardsCritical Decisions in Emergency Medicine