AEDs safe for young hearts.

• Author: Zipes, Douglas
• Position: Neighborhood Heart Watch - Brief Article

AEDs--originally designed to restore a normal heartbeat in adult victims of cardiac arrest--are safe for children as young as age one, according to an American Heart Association scientific statement published in July.

"The broader the application of AEDs, the better," says NHW editor Dr. Douglas Zipes. "More lives will be saved."

Previously, emergency personnel and the public were told that the automated devices should not be used on children under age eight.

"Typically, a child in cardiac arrest would have to wait for experienced medical personnel to evaluate if the rhythm required a shock," explained Dr. Ricardo Samson, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson and lead author of the advisory statement. "What has been shown in adults is that the earlier they receive a shock, the greater the chances of survival."

Cardiac arrest strikes youngsters much less often than adults. "But in those cases, AEDs can save a young person's life," Dr. Samson noted.

Some AED manufacturers now offer...