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TUESDAY, July 1, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) -- devices that shock the heart to restore a normal heartbeat after a person suffers a potentially fatal irregular heart rhythm -- are safe to use on children aged 1 to 8, says the American Heart Association (AHA).
The AHA scientific statement on the use of AEDs in young children appears in the June 30 issue of Circulation.
Before this, children under the age of 8 could only receive manual defibrillation in a hospital. Emergency personnel and others weren't permitted to use AEDs on young children outside a hospital.
"Typically, a child in cardiac arrest would have to wait for experienced medical personnel to evaluate if the rhythm required a shock," lead author Dr. Ricardo Samson, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Arizona, says in a news release.
"What has been shown in adults is that the earlier they receive a shock, the greater the chances of survival. For every minute that defibrillation is delayed, survival decreases by 7 percent to 10 percent. If it's delayed by more than 12 minutes, the chance of survival in adults is less than 5 percent," Samson says.
Pediatric cardiac arrests are much less common than adult cardiac arrests.
"But in those cases where it's necessary, AEDs can save a young person's life. Extending their use to younger children may mean more children's lives may be saved," Samson says.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about defibrillation.
