People are reluctant to use public defibrillators to treat cardiac arrests

  A study led the University of Warwick suggests that people are reluctant to use public access defibrillators to treat cardiac arrests. The analysis of existing international studies, which has been published in the European Heart Journal, suggests that there are a number of factors that prevent members of the public from using them and potentially saving lives. The researchers’ study suggests that many members of the public don’t know what an automated external defibrillator (AED) is, where to find one and how to use one. This is despite AEDs being suitable for use by untrained members of the public.