• Tsung-Hsi Wang, Hui-An Lin, Wei-Fong Kao, and Chun-Chieh Chao.
• Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States; School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan, ROC; Graduate Institute for cancer biology and drug delivery, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
• Am J Emerg Med. 2019 Aug 1; 37 (8): 1446-1449.

BackgroundEmergency medical services (EMSs) are used by approximately 383,000 patients with out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in the United States. Hence, it is crucial to implement automated external defibrillator (AED) programs to prepare responders for an SCA emergency. Taiwanese pass legislature to enforce AED installation in 8 mandatory areas since 2013. Our study investigated the efficacy of the policy regarding AED installation.Materials And MethodsWe collected data of patients who had sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in pre-hospital settings, and received resuscitative efforts, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation or defibrillation with AEDs. The data were from July 11, 2013 to July 31, 2015. In total, 209 adult patients were documented by on-site caregivers of different facilities, and a report was mailed to the central health and welfare unit.ResultsSchools, large-scale gathering places, and special institutions used AEDs the most, accounting for 33 (15.3%) cases. From non-mandatory AED areas, long-term care facilities had the maximum cases of AED use (32 cases; 14.9%). With commuting stations as a reference, long-distance transport had the lowest odds ratio (OR) of 0.481 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24-0.962). The OR for schools, large-scale gathering places, and special institutions was 4.474 (95% CI: 2.497-8.015). Regarding failure of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), the OR for the ≥80-year age group was higher than that for the 20-39-year age group.ConclusionsThe policy regarding the legislation to install AEDs in mandatory areas improved AED accessibility. Elderly patients aged ≥80 years have a higher rate of ROSC failure.Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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