NEW YORK, Oct 18 (Reuters Health) -- Using automated external defibrillators (AEDs), children as young as age 11 can learn to jump-start the heart of someone in cardiac arrest, researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle, report.
Sixth-graders who were trained briefly to use the devices were almost as quick as paramedics in delivering a shock to mannequins having a "heart attack," according to study results published in the October 19th issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
"Now we know that AEDs are literally easy enough for a child to use," lead researcher Dr. Gust H. Bardy said in a statement. He predicted that giving the public greater access to the "user-friendly" AEDs in venues such as sports stadiums and theaters could save as many as 50,000 lives each year.
Already, Bardy and colleagues report, police departments, airlines and casinos have used the devices successfully.
Like the defibrillators used by medical professionals, AEDs can restore a normal heartbeat in many heart attack victims. Sudden cardiac arrest is usually caused by ventricular fibrillation -- abnormal electrical activity in the heart that cuts off blood flow from the organ. With its pads placed properly on the chest wall, a defibrillator can shock the heart back into the correct rhythm.
To see whether children could be quickly trained to use AEDs, Bardy's team gave about one minute of instruction to 15 sixth-graders in Seattle, then compared their defibrillator performance with that of 22 paramedics. On average, the researchers found, the children completed defibrillation in 90 seconds, compared with the professionals' time of 67 seconds. Furthermore, all of the children properly placed the device's pads on the chest and remained "clear" of the mannequin as the shock was delivered, they add.
First used in the early 1980s, AEDs made it possible for laypeople to save victims of sudden cardiac arrest. The device identifies ventricular fibrillation, delivering a shock only when appropriate. Recent design advances, including verbal prompts and icons that illustrate proper pad placement, have made AEDs even easier to use, the authors explain.
Still, Bardy explains, "training is crucial." Not every situation requires an AED, he notes, and people should still learn to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The American Heart Association recommends that people take an AED training course before using the device.
According to the current report, earlier studies have identified the speed of defibrillation as "the single most important factor" in the outcome of sudden cardiac arrest. One study showed that in the first 10 minutes after ventricular fibrillation, the chances for survival drop 10% for each minute of delay in shocking the heart.
