A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial of Strategic AED Deployment in High-risk Residential Areas Combined With Activation of Local Residents

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to increase the rates of bystander defibrillation during out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in densely populated residential areas with many cardiac arrest incidents. Despite the growing number of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), survival and defibrillation rates remain low in these areas. The study focuses on improving bystander defibrillation and 30-day survival through strategic AED placement and resident involvement as citizen responders. The study compares two approaches: standard emergency response with ambulance and physician-staffed mobile care units plus activation of citizen responders via the Heart Runner app, against an enhanced intervention. The enhanced intervention adds strategically placed AEDs within a 1.5-minute walking distance to residences, registration of AEDs with emergency dispatch, and training courses for about 120 residents per area in CPR and AED use to recruit them as citizen responders. Participants will be part of emergency calls for suspected cardiac arrest, where dispatchers provide telephone-assisted CPR instructions and guide bystanders to retrieve AEDs if available. Data from AED use will be collected. The study measures bystander defibrillation rates up to five years after intervention and 30-day survival post-cardiac arrest. Participation involves monitoring cardiac arrest cases, AED deployment, citizen responder activation, and outcomes within the study areas.

Cardiac Arrest in Residential Areas With Mobile First-responder Activation