Congress has Agreed:

Congressional Bill #106 Title IV "Cardiac Arrest Survival"

states the following findings accepted by the United States Congress.

(1) Over 700 lives are lost every day to sudden

(2) Two out of every three sudden cardiac deaths

(3) More than 95 percent of these cardiac arrest

 occur before a victim can reach a hospital.victims will die, many because of lack of readily available life saving medical equipment.

(4) With current medical technology, up to percent of cardiac arrest victims could be saved if victims had access to immediate medical response, including defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

(5) Once a victim has suffered a cardiac arrest,every minute that passes before returning the heart to a normal rhythm decreases the chance of survival by 10 percent. (6) Most cardiac arrests are caused by abnormal heart rhythms called ventricular fibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation occurs when the heart's electrical system malfunctions, causing a chaotic rhythm that prevents the heart from pumping oxygen to the victim's brain and body.

(7) Communities that have implemented programs ensuring widespread public access to defibrillators, combined with appropriate training, maintenance, and coordination with local emergency medical systems, have dramatically improved the survival rates from cardiac arrest.(8) Automated external defibrillator devices have been demonstrated to be safe and effective, even when used by lay people, since the devices are designed not

to allow a user to administer a shock until after the device has analyzed a victim's heart rhythm and determined that an electric shock is required.

(10) Limiting the liability of Good Samaritans

and acquirers of automated external defibrillator devices in emergency situations may encourage the use of automated external defibrillator devices, and result in saved lives.

(Emphasis mine.)

 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-106hr2498eas/pdf/BILLS-106hr2498eas.pdf

(9) Increasing public awareness regarding automated external defibrillator devices and encouraging their use in Federal buildings will greatly facilitate their adoption.cardiac arrest in the United States alone.