Increasing community public access to defibrillation

Community public access defibrillation (cPAD) has only become a reality for local communities in the past couple of years as technology and guidelines from governing agencies such as the UK Resuscitation Council (UK) have been amended (Resuscitation Council, 2009). Due to the latest compliant defibrillation equipment, the need for training has been reduced and although desirable, is no longer necessary, even for members of the public.

cPAD schemes place an automatic or semi automatic defibrillator, a device used to treat sudden cardiac arrest, in a convenient location in a vandal and weather resistant box. The equipment can be accessed by anyone to assist a patient with a sudden cardiac arrest. In all cases, 999 is called and the ambulance service will give directions to the AED box to enable the defibrillator to be used. cPAD schemes are not a replacement for ambulance or community responder services but are there to help while professional help arrives, and have already been proven to save lives.