According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States each year. Of these, approximately 10,000 result in survival.
Although using an AED is the only option to restore a normal heartbeat during cardiac arrest, you can certainly request help from trained medical professionals. However, because the typical response time for a first responder is 8-12 minutes, each minute of delay in performing CPR reduces the chances of survival by approximately 10%. Thus, having an AED available and knowing how to use it is essential.