Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are compact, portable, effective and low-maintenance devices that can be used by non-medical personnel with minimal training, in non-clinical settings in under-resourced communities, to promptly defibrillate patients with out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Many countries around the world have guidelines, legislation and federal grants that dictate the number and placement of AEDs in public places. In Pakistan, no such legislations exist. The question is, what's happening on the ground?
A study conducted by our student members of the Society for Promoting Innovation in Education (SPIE), in collaboration with CIME, assessed the installed base of AED in Karachi.
A telephone survey was conducted amongst 100 establishments with 53 completing the survey. Most were institutes of higher education, places of recreation, and malls. Just 9 (17%) of these were aware of what AEDs were and only one had an AED at their premises. 47% considered having an AED at their premises would be useful, with 42% reporting that they would install an AED at their premises. The majority (60%) of places did not maintain any record of cardiac emergencies at their premises, and 70% saw the need for training in Basic Life Support.
Dr. Russell Seth Martins, recent medical graduate of AKU Medical College, and current President of SPIE, spoke about future plans for the city-wide AED placement project: “The results of our study form the basis for future interventions. We will look for funding to pilot the installation of an AED device at selected high-risk locations in Karachi, to evaluate usage and real-world effectiveness of community AED placement in the city."
The research study has been accepted for publication in the Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association (JPMA), one of the country's leading medical journals.
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are compact, portable, effective and low-maintenance devices that can be used by non-medical personnel with minimal training, in non-clinical settings in under-resourced communities, to promptly defibrillate patients with out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Many countries around the world have guidelines, legislation and federal grants that dictate the number and placement of AEDs in public places. In Pakistan, no such legislations exist. The question is, what's happening on the ground?
A study conducted by our student members of the Society for Promoting Innovation in Education (SPIE), in collaboration with CIME, assessed the installed base of AED in Karachi.
A telephone survey was conducted amongst 100 establishments with 53 completing the survey. Most were institutes of higher education, places of recreation, and malls. Just 9 (17%) of these were aware of what AEDs were and only one had an AED at their premises. 47% considered having an AED at their premises would be useful, with 42% reporting that they would install an AED at their premises. The majority (60%) of places did not maintain any record of cardiac emergencies at their premises, and 70% saw the need for training in Basic Life Support.
Dr. Russell Seth Martins, recent medical graduate of AKU Medical College, and current President of SPIE, spoke about future plans for the city-wide AED placement project: “The results of our study form the basis for future interventions. We will look for funding to pilot the installation of an AED device at selected high-risk locations in Karachi, to evaluate usage and real-world effectiveness of community AED placement in the city."
The research study has been accepted for publication in the Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association (JPMA), one of the country's leading medical journals.
