A new law which would require AEDs to be officially registered with the emergency services could provide a boost to the lives saved by defibrillators in Scotland.
A Private Member’s Bill put forward by Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour MSP, pushes for all defibs to be registered so 999 call handlers can direct members of the public to them, increasing the chances of effective treatment following a sudden cardiac arrest.
Evidence suggests that the rate of AED use when not in a hospital is around 4.3%. The Swedish study found that registered AEDs were 15 times more likely to be used to save a life than unregistered AEDs – presumably because very few people know where they are located!
In an interview, Mr Sarwar said “This proposal could dramatically improve survival rates in Scotland. The evidence of the positive impact of using a defibrillator is overwhelming, doubling survival chances in some cases.
“There is no current requirement for public AEDs to be registered, meaning the ambulance service may direct a bystander to a defibrillator which is further away, or they may not even be aware of one in the vicinity. This Bill would help bystanders save the lives of their fellow citizens and allow Scotland to lead the way in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival.”
For details of AED training please visit www.proaed.co.uk
AED units are available to buy by clicking here or call 01206 805380.