BMJ 1995;310:735 (18 March)

Letters

British Heart Foundation recommends early defibrillation

EDITOR,--Anthony Avery and Mike Pringle emphasise the need for general practitioners to be adequately equipped and trained to provide optimal care in medical emergencies.1 They emphasise the value of early defibrillation in the management of cardiac arrest, which in many cases could be provided by an appropriately equipped general practitioner. In recent years the British Heart Foundation has helped provide general practitioners with defibrillators, and the results show the value of this policy.

The foundation's records show that among 83 patients who suffered a cardiac arrest in the presence of a general practitioner equipped with a defibrillator, defibrillation was successful in 63. Fifty six reached hospital alive, of whom 47 were ultimately discharged home. In 71 cases the cardiac arrest had been either ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia and therefore potentially correctable. Defibrillation was often effective even when cardiac arrest had occurred before the general practitioner's arrival, particularly when it . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Emergency care in general practice
Anthony Avery and Mike Pringle
BMJ 1995 310: 6. [Extract] [Full Text]

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