Use of the automatic external defibrillator in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, upwards of 15,000 people a year die from sudden cardiac arrest. Of those who suffer circulatory arrest (with collapse) in the presence of others, twelve per cent survive at least until their discharge from hospital. Circulatory failure is generally caused by the development of ventricular fibrillation, a dysrhythmia that results in stoppage of the heart as a blood pump. The main reason why resuscitation is unsuccessful in such cases is the belatedness of defibrillation. Overall, it can be assumed that, following a circulatory disorder resulting from ventricular fibrillation, the probability of survival falls by 10% a minute. Twelve minutes after the onset of circulatory failure, the probability of survival has fallen to 9%.