Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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Aspirin (ASA) has unquestioned benefit to patients with cardiac ischemia. Previous studies indicate health care providers may not adequately treat patients experiencing cardiac ischemia with ASA. ⋯ Paramedics do not use ASA optimally and may choose therapies with less proven benefit.
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Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) used for public-access defibrillation (PAD) allow for rapid defibrillation, particularly if the AEDs are incorporated into an organized response plan. This project was undertaken to determine how many PAD AEDs were in North Carolina, how many were properly registered, and how many were integrated into the emergency medical services (EMS) response. ⋯ A large number of unregistered AEDs are being placed in communities. AEDs placed as part of an organized PAD program improve the rates of survival from sudden cardiac death. In the absence of registration, it is difficult to determine the extent to which these AEDs are part of an organized PAD program.