Use of an automated external defibrillator: a prospective observational study of first-year medical students

Abstract

This study evaluated the ability of young adults to respond to a simulated cardiac arrest using an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Method: The study population was first-year medical students. None had received their mandatory training in emergency medicine. They role-played in pairs and entered a room in which a third person was lying on the floor and simulating unconsciousness and respiratory arrest. An AED and the corresponding poster-format instructions were clearly visible in the room, next to a telephone. The actions of pairs of responders were recorded.

Results: Interpretable results were obtained for 90 pairs of subjects. Most (96%) assessed vital signs and 20% performed this assessment correctly. Chest compressions were performed by 57%, 71% called emergency services, 4.5% removed the AED from the wall (but only one pair used it) and 8.9% did nothing. For 41% of the pairs, at least one member already had a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certificate. The only statistically significant difference between students with and without a CPR certificate concerned use of the telephone to call emergency services.

Discussion: Despite the presence of an AED next to the telephone, the defibrillator was almost never used by the participants. Four out of ten pairs did not start chest compressions. The absence of any significant differences in performance between students with and without a CPR certificate casts doubt on the efficacy of the CPR training they had received.

Conclusion: Results indicate the need for greater awareness of how to deal with cardiac arrest and the use of an AED when one is available.