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Concurrent Block #8

Resuscitation Education

AED and Dispatcher Directed CPR Advancements

CellAED is the future of AEDs: It's personal.

Saturday, December 2, 2023
10:35 AM – 10:50 AM PST
Location: Town and Country Ballroom D

    Primary Presenter(s)

  • Steven C. Brooks, MD MHSc FRCPC (he/him/his)

    Professor
    Queen's Univeristy
    Kingston, ON, Canada

    Disclosure(s): Action First Aid: Donation of 27 AEDs for the study being presented (Ongoing); Rapid Response Revival: Employment (Ongoing), Ownership Interest (Ongoing)

    • Moderator(s)

  • Joshua Smith, NRP

    Captain/Paramedic
    Richland Fire & Emergency Services
    Richland, WA, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

Disclosure(s):
Steven C. Brooks, MD MHSc FRCPC: Action First Aid: Donation of 27 AEDs for the study being presented (Ongoing); Rapid Response Revival: Employment (Ongoing), Ownership Interest (Ongoing)
Summary: Introducing the CellAED, the world's first personal use AED. Weighing only 290 grams and costing approximately 1/10th of the price of a conventional AED, the CellAED provides new opportunities to address known barriers to early defibrillation.

Synopsis: Early defibrillation is an essential link in the Chain of Survival for cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, our current focus on a model of public access defibrillation is failing. Less than 10-15% of people who experience a cardiac arrest in a public setting have the advantage of early defibrillation prior to the arrival of paramedics. The problem is even worse in residential settings where less than 1% of people who experience their cardiac arrest at home receive bystander defibrillation. This is a major barrier in our quest to improve survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest because more than 80% of cardiac arrests occur in a residential location.

On average, conventional automated external defibrillators cost anywhere from $800 to $3000 and can weigh up to 3 kg. Many are the size of a small toaster and have limited portability. Ownership of conventional AEDs has typically been limited to businesses, organizations, municipalities, or other levels of government because of the high price. Recent technology innovations in the public access AED space have trended towards an increase in design complexity and purchase price. Our current approach of fixed, public-access defibrillators has been driven by the high cost and limited portability of available technology. The reality is that bystander defibrillation is not a reasonable expectation given our current approach.

An invention from Australia is about to change all of this.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe 3 barriers to early defibrillation for people who experience cardiac arrest in the community. Describe 3 elements of novel defibrillator design which could address known barriers to early defibrillation.
  • This presentation will discuss ways to advance Public Access AED placement and utilization.
  • This presentation will describe one or more survivor / rescuer stories that can be used to illustrate an effective chain of survival for cardiac arrest.