Critical Shock Treatment Often Delayed in Cardiac Arrest

Good point about having automated defibrillators at the hospital...they are are airports and in other public areas today...so why not at the hospital for quick access when needed...like the old fire extinguisher in the wall...have a couple defibrillators ready if needed...BD

Just because you're in the hospital doesn't mean you'll quickly get treated if your heart stops beating. About one-third of patients don't get a potentially live-saving shock within the recommended two minutes, a new study found.
Those who don't get prompt defibrillation are more likely to die or end up brain damaged or disabled, the study showed. For every minute of delay, the chances of survival worsens, researchers reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. The research showed delays were more likely at smaller hospitals, after-hours or on weekends, and for patients who weren't constantly being monitored or were admitted for non-heart problems.
One potential way to speed up response times, Chan suggests, is to make automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, available throughout hospitals so that nurses could readily use them instead of waiting for doctors to deliver shocks. "We have them outside the hospital setting already today. Is there any reason not to have these (in hospitals)?" Chan said.