Cost-effectiveness of automated external defibrillators on airlines.

摘要

CONTEXT: Installation of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) on passenger aircraft has been shown to improve survival of cardiac arrest in that setting, but the cost-effectiveness of such measures has not been proven. OBJECTIVE: To examine the costs and effectiveness of several different options for AED deployment in the US commercial air transportation system. DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS: Decision and cost-effectiveness analysis of a strategy of full deployment on all aircraft as well as several strategies of partial deployment only on larger aircraft, compared with a baseline strategy of no AEDs on aircraft (but training flight attendants in basic life support) for a hypothetical cohort of persons experiencing cardiac arrest aboard US commercial aircraft. Estimates for costs and outcomes were obtained from the medical literature, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Air Transport Association of America, a population-based cohort of Medicare patients, AED manufacturers, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Quality-adjusted survival after cardiac arrest; costs of AED deployment on aircraft and of medical care for cardiac arrest survivors. RESULTS: Adding AEDs on passenger aircraft with more than 200 passengers would cost