Community Lay Rescuer Automated External Defibrillation Programs: Key State Legislative Components and Implementation Strategies: A Summary of a Decad

Community Lay Rescuer Automated External Defibrillation Programs: Key State Legislative Components and Implementation Strategies: A Summary of a Decade of Experience for Healthcare Providers, Policymakers, Legislators, Employers, and Community Leaders From the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee, Council on Clinical Cardiology, and Office of State Advocacy -- Aufderheide et al. 113 (9): 1260 -- Circulation: "Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death for adults ≥40 years of age. The American Heart Association (AHA) estimates that sudden cardiac arrest is responsible for about 250 000 out-of-hospital deaths annually in the United States. Since the early 1990s, the AHA has called for innovative approaches to reduce time to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation and improve survival from sudden cardiac arrest. In the mid-1990s, the AHA launched a public health initiative to promote early CPR and early use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by trained lay responders in community (lay rescuer) AED programs. Between 1995 and 2000, all 50 states passed laws and regulations concerning lay rescuer AED programs. In addition, the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act (CASA, Public Law 106-505) was passed and signed into federal law in 2000. The variations in state and federal legislation and regulations have complicated efforts to promote lay rescuer AED programs and in some cases have/.../"