AEDs do not reduce in-hospital mortality

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By  |  November 15, 2010 | 

The use of AEDs in hospitals is enticing since they are easy to use, and they have reduced out of hospital cardiac death. In this large analysis of the NRCPR database, 18% of patients had shockable rhythms, and 18% survived to hospital discharge. Of those with shockable rhythms, AED use did not reduce in-hospital mortality. And overall, the use of AEDs increased in-hospital mortality, due to an increased risk of mortality among patients with non-shockable rhythms. Use of AEDs in hospitals may not be beneficial, where the majority of arrests are not due to shockable rhythms, whereby AEDs may interfere with appropriate care (abstract).

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About the Author: Danielle Scheurer

Danielle Scheurer, MD, MSCR, SFHM is a clinical hospitalist and the Chief Quality Officer at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina, where she also serves as Assistant Professor of Medicine. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, completed her residency at Duke University, and completed her Masters in Clinical Research at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is also the President of SHM's Board of Directors and previously served as Physician Editor of The Hospitalist, SHM's monthly newsmagazine.

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