Content below is a selection from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA") publication titled: "Saving Sudden Cardiac Arrest Victims in the Workplace - Automated External Defibrillators"
Link to the full original publication can be found here: LINK
Improving survival from sudden cardiac arrest.
There are 220,000 victims of sudden cardiac arrest per year in the United States; about 10,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur at work. Waiting for the arrival of emergency medical system personnel results in only 5-7% survival. Studies with immediate defibrillation have shown up to 60% survival one year after sudden cardiac arrest.
Automated external defibrillators:
An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a medical device designed to analyze the heart rhythm and deliver an electric shock to victims of ventricular fibrillation to restore the heart rhythm to normal. Ventricular fibrillation is the uncoordinated heart rhythm most often responsible for sudden cardiac arrest.
Sudden cardiac arrest:
Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when ventricular fibrillation takes place or when the heart stops beating altogether. Without medical attention, the victim collapses, loses consciousness, becomes unresponsive, and dies. Many victims have no prior history of heart disease and are stricken without warning.