AEDs Safe for Young Hearts

AEDs Safe for Young Hearts

July 2003
Volume III, Number 1

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 electrode pads with cables that can analyze pediatric heart rhythms and deliver smaller shocks. While recommending the newer models be placed in public places such as schools, the AHA task force concluded that AEDs without pediatric-sized electrode pads may be used for children one and older who have no signs of circulation.

The new statement expands the 2000 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation recommendations. The panel of pediatric intensive care, cardiology and anesthesia specialists continues to recommend that a lone rescuer perform one minute of CPR on a child before any other action such as calling 911 or attaching the AED. In addition, they say there are insufficient data to support the use of AEDs in children younger than age one.