Can a defibrillator save your life?

Of course an external defibrillator could save your life. It has for so many others which is why numerous cities and towns are installing AEDs where large crowds of people congregate. Today, all ambulances, fire trucks, most police cars, schools, and places where people exert themselves have AEDs available just incase. If you are unconscious and not breathing, without intervention you will surely die. EMTs and first responders, once they arrive, will use a defibrillator to send an electrical shock to the heart in an attempt to restore the heart to it's normal rhythym. Usually it takes between 5-10 minutes for EMTs to arrive at the scene. Brain death and permanent death start to occur in just 4-6 minutes after sudden cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest can be reversed if it's treated within a few minutes with an electric shock to the heart. A victim's chances of survival are reduced by 7-10 percent with every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation. Few attempts at resuscitation succeed after 10 minutes.

Studies have shown that the use of external defibrillators which delivers a shock to get the heart beating again increase a victim's chances of living between 30 and 50 percent, compared to the 9 percent who only receive cardiopulmonary recesitation (CPR). One study done between December 2005 and May 2007 reported that out of 14,000 people who suffered cardiac arrest, that 38% arrived at the hospital alive. This study which included 21 million people from seven U.S. cities and three Canandian cities, compared to a population of 330 million people in the United States, concluded that automated external defibrillators could save 474 lives per year. That's a person and a half. These findings were published in the April 20, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Throughout the years there have been many other studies done all over the world. 

Cardio - pulmonary resuscitation is a method used to keep the blood flowing to your body until the emergency medical technicians arrive. CPR does not start a heart that has stopped beating, but it does keep the blood flowing to the heart and other vital organs keeping them alive until a defibrillator can be used to start the heart. Without CPR, a victim will die.