AED (Automated External Defibrillator)
Background on Public Access Defibrillation
Late in 1998, Governor Pataki signed into law the Public Access Defibrillation Law. Public Access Defibrillation is designed to encourage greater acquisition, deployment and use of Automated External Defribillators (AED) in communities around the state in an effort to reduce the numbers of deaths.
Individuals and organizations making a good faith effort to provide urgently needed medical attention are protected by the Public Health Law (Article 30, Section 3000-A), also known as the Good Samaritan law. This guarantees that any person who voluntarily and without expectation of monetary reward provides emergency treatment will not be liable for damages for harm alleged to have occurred, unless it is shown that he or she is guilty of gross negligence.
To be authorized to use an AED under New York State law for Public Access defribillation (Chapter 552 of the Laws of 1998) an individual or organization needs to make specific notification of intent to the local Regional Emergency Medical Services Council and the State Department of Health. Written practice protocols and policies for the use of the AED must include:
Clik here for the Full Text of Article 30
Cardiac Arrest Survival ACT (CASA)
The Cardiac Arrest Survival Act (CASA) of 2000 is our nation's first legislation recognizing the lifesaving role played by automated external defibrillators (AEDs). The law highlights the need to make AEDs accessible to anyone who has had proper training, not just professional medical personnel. The law also augments existing state "Good Samaritan" laws by ensuring federal liability protection for trained users and purchasers of AEDs. Finally, the law establishes a new three-year, $25 million program to improve access to emergency defibrillation in rural areas.
CASA's goal is to encourage people to respond in a cardiac emergency by using an AED.
The law addresses the liability concerns raised by some organizations. For example, the legislation now protects trained AED users from liability, and also protects any person who has maintained the device, provided training, tested the device or acquired it. It even protects the physician who provides medical oversight for the device.
Click Here to view the full text of the CASA Law
New Study Results Underscore Need for AEDs in Public Places October 22, 2002 — Recent results published in The New England Journal of Medicine emphasize the importance of publicly accessible automated external defibrillators or AEDs. Conducted over a two year period at three Chicago airports, the study recorded a 67 percent survival rate among those who experienced sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and received CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and AED treatment within five minutes. Such study results unmistakably demonstrate that AEDs can be a critical tool in saving a life endangered by SCA. In a situation reflective of the study, a man collapsed while experiencing SCA, and those who responded utilized a nearby AED.