Headline: First report of true ' Public Access Defibrillation'

摘要

Twenty or so years ago my wife, Linda, and I sat at our kitchen table. I explained to her the fact that soon any person able to acquire or find a defibrillator and use it could save the life of another person in cardiac arrest. I told her I needed a name that could be used to encompass the concept, somewhat like "Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation." We came to "Public Access Defibrillation". To this day as a former teacher, she reminds me that it is bad grammar to eliminate the adverb! The name was adopted by the American Heart Association.Finally, 12 years after the US FDA cleared the use of AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) by non-healthcare or EMT trained individuals and 5 years after the US agency allowed sales of AEDs without a prescription, we have the first report of the use of such devices purchased by an adult "over the counter" without a prescription, or required training or registration. We now have a report of lives saved by true "Public Access Defibrillation."