Haarlem volunteer responders given their own AED
Thirty volunteers are taking part in a trial intended to reduce delays in retrieving a defibrillator.
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A trial has begun in Haarlem in which thirty volunteer responders are being given their own AED. The project aims to shorten the time between a call reporting a cardiac arrest and the first use of a defibrillator.
The participants are registered with HartslagNu and are being loaned an AED. When an alert comes in, they can go straight to a casualty without first having to collect a public AED.
Rapid CPR and defibrillation increase the chances of survival after a cardiac arrest. Volunteer responders are alerted through the call-out system when help is needed in their vicinity. The trial builds on that existing network.
The project is part of a study and is collecting data on the deployment of volunteer responders, the use of AEDs and the time until the first shock. This should establish whether a personal AED delivers help faster in practice than collecting a device on the way.
The trial does not yet prove that this approach increases survival in Haarlem. Data on actual response times, medical outcomes and comparisons with situations in which a public AED is used are needed for that.
For other municipalities, the initiative is mainly of interest if the results show that the additional devices are cost-effective and safely managed. The trial does not alter the general advice to call 112 immediately in the event of a suspected cardiac arrest and begin CPR according to the instructions of the emergency call handler.
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The start of the trial, the number of participants and its purpose have been confirmed by multiple public sources. The text does not present a possible effect as a proven medical outcome.
- confirmed Thirty Haarlem volunteer responders are being given their own AED. — Public reporting on the trial. source
- confirmed The trial is collecting data on deployment, AED use and the time until the first shock. — Description of the project and study. source
- confirmed Rapid assistance is important in the event of a cardiac arrest. — Public information about volunteer responders and AEDs. source
Editor's note
The start of the trial has been confirmed by multiple public sources. Its medical benefit is not yet known; this is an ongoing project, not a proven improvement in survival.Sources
- Dertig Haarlemse burgerhulpverleners krijgen een eigen AED — Rodi
- Pilot in Haarlem geeft dertig burgerhulpverleners eigen AED — The Intelligent
- Burgerhulpverlening en AED — Gemeente Peel en Maas
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „aed hartstilstand”
- de Volkskrant — „aed hartstilstand”
- RTL Nieuws — „aed hartstilstand”