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Medical Author:

Joseph Sciammarella, MD, FACP, FACEP

Joseph Sciammarella, MD, FACP, FACEP

Dr. Sciammarella graduated from American University of the Caribbean in June, 1985. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Emergency Medicine and has practiced Emergency Medicine for 19 years.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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The evolution of early defibrillation took another major step forward with the concept of public access defibrillation or "PAD."

• It is now recognized that AEDs are extremely easy to use.
  
  
• Formal training programs, such as those offered by the American Heart Association's Heartsaver AED course, can be taught in as little as 4 hours.
  
  
• However, operating an AED is so simple that it can be done successfully even without formal training. Training is recommended for as many people as possible.
  
  
• Local and state regulations determine the training requirements for PAD programs.

The legal requirements that allow the lay public to use AEDs are determined on a state-by-state basis.

• In some states there is true public access defibrillation, meaning that anyone with knowledge of an AED can use one any time it is available. For example, a traveler in an airport may retrieve and use an AED mounted in a public location.
  
  
• In other states, use of AEDs is more restricted. Some states require a formal training program, the direct involvement of an authorizing doctor, or that the AED rescuer be part of a formal in-house response team.
  
  
• In most states, any individual using an AED in a good faith attempt to save the life of a cardiac arrest victim will be covered by some form of a "good Samaritan" statute.