Only 4.9% of AEDs in Slovakia have both paediatric capability and 24/7 availability, severely limiting Public Access Defibrillation effectiveness.
The Slovak national AED registry reveals critical deficiencies in public access defibrillation, particularly regarding the 24/7 availability of pediatric-capable devices and the presence of mechanical locks, which contradict 2025 ERC guidelines.
Absolute Event Rate: 0% vs 0%
Objectives To analyse the Slovak National AED Registry for critical gaps in device accessibility, availability, and specifications based on 2025 ERC Guidelines. Background Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) is a time-critical challenge where survival depends on Public Access Defibrillation (PAD). Slovakia has a national AED registry, but its compliance with international recommendations is unknown. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional analysis of all registered AEDs (N = 4484) as of August 2025 was conducted. We analysed device type, paediatric capability, 24/7 availability, location, and physical barriers (mechanical locks). Results The registry included 4484 AEDs. While 71.1% (N = 3187) were available 24/7, only 20.2% (N = 904) had a paediatric mode. Merely 4.9% (N = 221) had both paediatric capability and 24/7 availability. Furthermore, 7.0% (N = 314) were secured with a mechanical lock. “Barrier-free access” data (90.3%) was misleading, not referring to device placement. Conclusion The Slovak AED network has critical deficiencies contradicting ERC 2025 recommendations. The extremely low 24/7 availability of paediatric-capable AEDs (4.9%) and the presence of mechanical locks (7.0%) limit PAD effectiveness. Urgent technical regulations are necessary.
Adrián Fabiny (Wed,) reported a other. Only 4.9% of AEDs in Slovakia have both paediatric capability and 24/7 availability, severely limiting Public Access Defibrillation effectiveness.
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