Employment and residential characteristics in relation to automated external defibrillator locations

Abstract

Background Survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is generally poor and varies by geography. Variability in automated external defibrillator (AED) locations may be a contributing factor. To inform optimal placement of AEDs, we investigated AED access in a major US city relative to demographic and employment characteristics. Methods and Results This was a retrospective analysis of a Philadelphia AED registry (2,559 total AEDs). The 2010 US Census and the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) database by ZIP code was used. AED access was calculated as the weighted areal percentage of each ZIP code covered by a 400 meter radius around each AED. Of 47 ZIP codes, only 9%(4) were high AED service areas. In 26%(12) of ZIP codes, less than 35% of the area was covered by AED service areas. Higher AED access ZIP codes were more likely to have a moderately populated residential area (p=0.032), higher median household income (p=0.006), and higher paying jobs (p=008). Conclusions The locations of AEDs vary across specific ZIP codes; select residential and employment characteristics explain some variation. Further work on evaluating OHCA locations, AED use and availability, and OHCA outcomes could inform AED placement policies. Optimizing the placement of AEDs through this work may help to increase survival.

Emergency Action Plans in Secondary Schools: Barriers, Facilitators, and Social Determinants Affecting Implementation

“…We determined that proxy SES for public schools did not play a role in a lack of EAP adoption, which demonstrates that the higher incidence of sudden cardiac death may not be attributed to EAP adoption. Although these findings are promising in that SES did not influence EAP adoption, it is important to note they are inconsistent with the previous literature, 13 and more research should be done to investigate whether SES plays a role in the adoption of sports medicine policies. Further, when separating the AD responses into those at schools of ,500 and 500 students, associations were noted with EAP adoption, venue-specific EAPs, and posting the EAPs.…”

“…Counties with a lower SES demonstrated a higher incidence of sudden cardiac death in SSs, and county financial status was associated with emergency response plan implementation. 13 Although this evidence suggests SES as a determinant in the implementation of emergency response plans, how SES and locale (eg, urban, suburban, rural subtypes) play roles in policy development, specifically with respect to EAPs in the SS setting, is unknown.…”

Pre-travel Health Advice for Patients With Cardiovascular Disease

“…27 Knowledge of the location of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) among international travellers is inadequate based on an airport survey. 62 Nonetheless, locations of AEDs should be more publicly accessible to facilitate their retrieval when needed [63][64][65] ; this is particularly crucial if the traveller is not familiar with the surroundings abroad. Technological inventions, e.g., a verified mobile AED map 66 and medical drones, 67 may potentially serve as useful aids for international travellers in the future.…”

Are there disparities in the location of automated external defibrillators in England?

“…A fundamental, structural barrier, which limits opportunity for the use of AEDs is their location in the community, as only a minority of OHCAs occur in locations near a public-access AED. [13][14][15][16][17][18] There is a notably poor correlation between OHCA and AED locations, 14 and the ability to match sites of OHCA and AED locations is a necessary step toward improving PAD. 15 The American Heart Association and European Resuscitation Council guidelines state that an AED should be in an area where an OHCA has occurred in the past 3-5 years.…”