Thanks to popular medical dramas such as Grey’s Anatomy, House, and the late ER, we are all vaguely familiar with defibrillators. However, there is still a lot of fear and misinformation about defibrillators, which results in reluctance on behalf of the public to use them. In fact, a research study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine surveyed 978 passengers from 38 countries in Amsterdam’s Central Station found that nearly half of respondents (43%) were unfamiliar with defibrillators and as such would not use one on someone experiencing cardiac arrest. Common reasons included:
-Lack of training
-Lack of familiarity with AED’s
-Fear of harming the victim
-Fear of being held legally liable for a poor outcome
However, defibrillators can save lives. Most people who experience sudden cardiac arrest die within minutes, and survival rates decrease for each minute that a person is left untreated. During a sudden cardiac episode, the heart stops beating and blood and oxygen are not delivered to the brain and other organs. Therefore, early detection and intervention by bystanders is crucial while waiting for emergency medical services (EMS) to arrive.
Now that the importance of defibrillators has been established, it is important to refute some of the misconceptions associated with defibrillators. The first misconceptions are lack of training and lack of familiarity with AED’s. Often times, we see only trained medical professionals on TV using defibrillators, whereas, the layperson is limited to using CPR. This sends a message defibrillators are complicated devices that only a trained professional can use. However, there are defibrillators available for laypeople to use. These are called automated external defibrillators, or AED’s. The name of an AED is self-explanatory; the defibrillator checks the victim’s pulse and determines if a shock is needed and how much. All the administrator needs to do is:
-Make sure the person is in a safe, dry location
-Turn on the AED
-Attach the pads, or electrodes
-Follow the directions to defibrillate or administer CPR where appropriate
Additionally, CPR was once a feared procedure. However, thanks to cartoons showing characters performing CPR, many children have been able to save a friend or family member from merely witnessing it on TV. If children can successfully administer CPR, surely an adult can use an AED to save a life as well.
Another fear that holds people back from administering AED’s is fear of harming the victim and legal liability for a poor outcome. Witnessing an individual have a sudden cardiac episode is a terrifying and stressful situation, and finding an unconscious and unresponsive person is no less so. Often times, people can feel helpless in these situations, and believe that they are powerless to do anything to help. However, it is more harmful not to render aid in cases of cardiac arrest, as the victim could die while waiting for EMS to arrive. Although it is unlikely, there are Good Samaritan Laws in all 50 United States protecting the layperson from liability if there is a poor outcome.
