According to researchers, the defibrillators got a perfect score for determining if a shock were necessary. Nine of the 21 patients who actually got treated on the plane were later released from the hospital. Even sixth-graders have quickly learned how to use defibrillators, and their response time is only thirty seconds slower than emergency medical technicians, according to one study. Theoretically, defibrillators can actually cause an irregular heartbeat if it malfunctions or is used incorrectly. Each year in the U.S., there are about 350,000 cases of sudden death, where the heart's electric system causes an irregular heartbeat.
Researchers suggest putting a device called a defibrillator in more public places.
A defibrillator can shock a sick heart back into a normal heartbeat pattern and could saved roughly 35,000 lives. If someone uses a defibrillator on 10 patients within two minutes of the start of trouble, five would be expected to live. Test programs are training police officers and flight attendants on how to use portable defibrillators. Organizers say many lives have been saved. They add the novice-friendly equipment has not delivered a shock when it wasn't needed.