Time is of the essence.
For every minute that defibrillation is delayed, the chance of victim survival is reduced by 10 percent. Response times, especially in rural areas and in densely populated urban neighborhoods, can be too long. AEDs need to be readily available to defibrillate SCA victims quickly. When CPR is performed without defibrillation, it has minimal impact on SCA survival rates. AEDs are designed to be used by virtually anyone.