Key result
Acceptance of a GoodSAM alert by a community responder was associated with a 3.8-fold increased odds of community defibrillation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring at home.
Why the study?
Do mobile defibrillators improve survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest?
Observational (n=2,420)
Yes
Do mobile defibrillators improve survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest?
Advocates for the use of mobile defibrillators to bridge the gap between the critical 2-5 minute window for OHCA survival and the 8-11 minute average EMS response time in New Zealand.
Rapid defibrillation is vital in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) treatment. In Aotearoa New Zealand, trained responders dispatched by the 111 system (emergency medical services [EMS], Fire and Emergency New Zealand [FENZ] and dispatched first response groups) with defibrillators reach a patient in cardiac arrest an average of 8 minutes after a 111 call in urban areas and 11 minutes in rural areas. However, odds of survival drop dramatically after a delay to defibrillation of only 2 to 5 minutes after collapse.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Hutchinson et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) (n=2,420). GoodSAM alert acceptance vs. No GoodSAM alert acceptance was evaluated on Community defibrillation in home-based OHCA (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.8-8.2). Acceptance of a GoodSAM alert by a community responder was associated with a 3.8-fold increased odds of community defibrillation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring at home.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: