More than 250,000 people in the United States die from cardiac arrest each year. With the broad deployment of AEDs among trained responders, up to 50,000 deaths due to a sudden cardiac arrest could be prevented annually. However, there have been 45,000 reports of AEDs failing or malfunctioning since 2005, according to the FDA. The vast majority of failures are the result of manufacturing problems, but some of them are also due to issues stemming from improper maintenance, such as battery failure.
In addition to encouraging the broader availability of AEDs in recent years, state legislators have been actively involved in establishing regulations for AEDs. While states provide legislation and guidance with regard to defibrillator management, organizations that deploy AEDs may struggle to obtain consistent guidance and direction.
EMC understands the burden of compliance, which is why we offer AED program management services. Our AED Program Management option is our simplest solution, in which our clients take on the responsibility for maintaining full legal compliance of their AED program.
EMC’s AED program management option is a system for helping to ensure compliance with AED laws in your state and local municipality. Our self-service agreement includes medical prescription and oversight from a physician, along with automatic filings with state and local municipalities. Unlike with our full-service option, however, you must do recordkeeping for your AED units, perform AED inspections and log them into the online system, and replace pads and batteries upon expiration. If there are any technical issues with your AEDs, you will need to address them to keep the devices “rescue ready.”
If your AED is ever used in a sudden cardiac arrest event, you must take responsibility for reporting the usage in the online system. We also provide you with instructions for sending out the unit for data download and medical reporting, which is a legal requirement in many states.
It’s important to note that with the self-service option, there is some risk for error, as well as a possibility that maintenance tasks will not get completed on schedule. Therefore, our self-service AED program management solution is only recommended if you have the staff and resources necessary to ensure that your AED program is in compliance at all times.
Call 1-800-695-5655 or fill out our contact form today for more information about the self-service AED program management solution!
