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(Circulation. 1999;99:2606-2607.)
© 1999 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cardiovascular News

States Set to Pass Laws Limiting Liability for Lay Users of Automated External Defibrillators

Ruth SoRelle, MPH Circulation Newswriter

Individual states appear ready to pick up the torch for limiting the liability of lay users of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), even though hopes for a national law were extinguished in the last congressional session. The Cardiac Arrest Survival Act that was introduced in the last Congress is being revamped before it is reintroduced, said Pat Bowser, who coordinates the public access defibrillation program of the American Heart Association.

But states appear to be passing their own laws without the impetus of federal legislation, said Bowser. "There is going to be a group pulled together in the next couple of months to look at it (federal legislation) to see if it is needed and to see how it might be structured to be effective. The group will also try to determine if there is really a need for federal regulation around this issue," she said.

Currently, a coalition with the AHA as the primary driving force is pushing for laws with certain basic requirements and protections, she said. The model legislation that the coalition is proposing requires the following:

Persons who may be in a position to use an AED shall have received either AHA training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and AED use or an equivalent, nationally recognized course in those areas.

The AED must be maintained and tested according to the manufacturer's guidelines.

A licensed physician or medical authority must ensure compliance with the requirements for training, notification, and maintenance.

A person who uses the AED to give emergency . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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