Does sudden cardiac arrest happen to children?
Yes. A study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine of the Houston EMS system3 states that in the United States, about 16,000 children under age 17 die annually due to unexpected pediatric cardiopulmonary arrest, a condition that may be treated with an AED. The authors state that while the occurrence is significantly less frequent that that of adults, years of life lost rivals that of adult cardiac arrest. HeartStart Defibrillators and their accessories adjust to reduce the delivered energy to a level more appropriate for an infant or child (less than 55 pounds or 8 years of age).
