Via practica 1/2018

Automated External Defibrillator (AED) – real benefits, the situation in Slovakia, how to continue?

The authors of this article map the situation about AEDs in Slovakia. They describe (present) estimate about AEDs , their location and use. The authors point to the fact, that there is no binding obligation for registration of purchased AEDs and their localization. The Central Register of AEDs does not exist. The surrounding European countries have registers of AEDs and the projects of early defibrillation with good outcomes. The analysis points to the fact that early defibrillation within three minutes in the hospital and within five minutes in the public by AED in Slovakia does not work in practice. Only a few case reports are illustrated. So far, the functional system has been demonstrated only by the Mountain Rescue Service and the Slovak Ice Hockey Association. Therefore, an urgent priority is to establish the National Register of AEDs. An Emergency Dispatch Center should coordinate the use of AEDs and evaluate the use of devices, they have an advantage because of authority on the whole Slovak area.

Keywords: sudden cardiac arrest, early defibrillation, automated external defibrillator, register of AED