Taiwan install more AEDs in public to reduce deaths from a heart attack

After actor Godfrey Gao’s death by heart attack on China television show, it brought the importance of first aid to the public’s attention, Taiwan is now awared and continue increasing the availability of Automated External Defibrillators (AED).

Taiwan already known as the second-highest density of AEDs, which are used to recover people who are suffering from life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Current laws confront that they should be installed at these types of public places, including:

• Airports
• High Speed Rail stations
• High schools
• Universities
• Major recreational venues

More and more portable electronic devices will be available at borough-level community centers, frequently visited temples, elementary and junior high school campuses that are use openly by locals, which will be implemented next year(2020).

While it is in people’s best interest to increase public access to AEDs, experts believe that to educate people which need more efforts on where to find and how to use the AED devices. In Taiwan, the usage rate of AEDs may be well below 5%.

Only 10% of the approximately 20,000 patients who suffer cardiac arrest each year in Taiwan are resuscitated after arriving at the hospital, said Lin Hao-yang, an attending physician at National Taiwan University Hospital’s Emergency Medicine Department. A heart attack victim’s chances of survival increase by 50% if he or she is defibrillated or receives CPR right away.

Source: taiwannews.com.tw