Bystander availability and AED acceptability during OHCA
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Bystander availability and AED acceptability during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
IRAS ID
280313
Contact name
Charles Deakin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
South Central Ambulance Service
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
When a cardiac arrest occurs, the heart stops pumping blood to the brain. Brain cells can only survive a few minutes without oxygen, so it is vital to restore blood flow straight away. Chest compressions can temporarily move some blood around the body, but the best way of saving the patient is to restart the heart as soon as possible. Defibrillators do this by delivering an electrical shock to the heart through sticky pads on the skin. Modern defibrillators (AEDs) are easy for any person to use and automatically provide instructions by speaking to the user when the packaging is opened.
For the best chance of survival, an AED should be used within a few minutes. Members of the public can help save the person by using an AED before the ambulance arrives. There are thousands of AEDs across the UK, but a second person needs to be available to fetch one while the first person does chest compressions. Therefore, we want to know how often a second person is available, and whether they can follow the instructions of the 999 call-handler to successfully fetch an AED.
To do this, we will listen to cardiac arrest 999 calls to identify whether a second person is present. We will be able to hear how the person responds if they are asked to fetch an AED. By doing this, we will be able to work out how often an AED could be used, and the understanding of the general public about defibrillation. We will also be able to find out the reasons why people might have difficulty fetching or using an AED. This will help researchers to plan AED deployment and help target future public education campaigns.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/SC/0224
Date of REC Opinion
10 Aug 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion