Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death. Early CPR and AED use are one of the few interventions possible when the heart stops outside a medical facility. Despite widespread deployment of public-access defibrillators over the past 20 years, the devices are still rare and seldom used by a bystander even when one is close by. The Scripps project aimed to raise awareness about the devices and explore some of the obstacles to more frequent use. Many people don’t know what an AED is and how easy one is to use; a patchwork of federal and state laws and regulations intimidate business owners and lay users alike, as does lingering uncertainty about liability. All these and more mean there may be thousands of missed chances to save a life each year.
