Experience with an automatic external defibrillator

One emergency ambulance serving an urban part of the greater Stockholm area was equipped with a semi-automatic defibrillator Life Pack 200 Physio Control during an 8-month study period. The equipment advises the user whether defibrillation is required or not, and in cases of detected ventricular fibrillation, defibrillation is advised. The user then has to press a button to defibrillate through the same electrodes that record the electrocardiogram. A built-in tape recorder was used for documentation of the underlying rhythm disturbance. In all, advice was requested 332 times. Accuracy in interpretation of ventricular fibrillation was found to be high. The sensitivity and specificity in interpretation of ventricular fibrillation were 93% and 100%, respectively. No defibrillations were performed in patients without ventricular fibrillation. All instances of ventricular fibrillation were converted to another rhythm or asystole. Seven percent of the patients with cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation survived.