An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable machine that is designed to use an algorithm to distinguish ventricular fibrillation (VF) from other cardiac rhythms, advise the rescuer that a shockable rhythm is present, and then allow for the delivery of the appropriate amplitude shock to "restart" the individual's heart.  This document addresses automated external defibrillators for home use.

Note: This document does not address wearable cardioverter defibrillators.  For information related to these devices, please see MED.00055 Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillators.

Investigational and Not Medically Necessary:

Automated external defibrillators for home use are considered investigational and not medically necessary.    

The implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is currently the "gold-standard" treatment for preventing sudden cardiac death in high-risk individuals, including those with a previous history of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and those at risk for ventricular arrhythmias, such as individuals with prior myocardial infarction (MI) and reduced ejection fraction.

Defibrillation success using automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in experimental and clinical models has been demonstrated, and studies conducted, thus far, suggest that AED use in public locations (such as airports and casinos), improves survival from SCA.  The Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) trial, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, was a multicenter study in which community-based AED training was employed in "high-risk" settings, included 1,260 community sites and residential locations with more than 250 persons older than age 50 years on site for most of the day, or sites where a cardiac arrest had occurred within the two years prior to the study.  Sites were randomized to rescuers trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) alone or those trained in CPR and defibrillator use.  Approximately 20,000 lay volunteers were trained, representing almost 10 volunteers per available defibrillator.  The primary endpoint of the study was the number of subjects who survived to hospital discharge.  More cardiac arrests occurred in the CPR-defibrillator locations (n = 129) than in the CPR-alone locations (n = 103).  Twenty-nine individuals in the CPR-defibrillator group survived to hospital discharge (22.5%), compared with only 15 in the CPR alone group (14.6%) (P = .042).  Notably, there was only one survival to hospital discharge in each group when SCA occurred in a residential unit.  Investigators drew the following conclusions from the study results:

• Trained laypersons can use AEDs safely to provide early defibrillation.
• Survival rate almost doubles when AEDs are added to CPR-trained response systems in public facilities with predefined increased risk.
• The survival rate in multi-unit residential facilities is very low (Hallstrom, 2004).

An important issue not addressed in the PAD study (or any other prospective, randomized trial), is whether or not AED use in the home setting improves health outcomes and survival beyond that achieved with the standard emergency response (EMS call in addition to CPR).  The Home Use of Automatic External Defibrillators to Treat Sudden Cardiac Arrest Trial (HAT), sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, enrolled an estimated 7,000 individuals who were randomized, following anterior myocardial infarction, into either standard lay response to SCA (call EMS and begin CPR) or to add the use of a home AED to the standard response.  The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality in the two arms of the trial with secondary endpoints of survival that is free from post-arrest neurological impairment and diminished quality of life for patients and spouses.  This Phase III trial enrolled participants for more than two years and followed for an additional two years at 200 cardiology clinics. Results of this study were published in 2008 and concluded that for survivors of anterior-wall myocardial infarction who were not candidates for implantation of a cardioverter-defibrillator, access to a home AED did not significantly improve overall survival, as compared with reliance on conventional resuscitation methods (Bardy, 2008).  

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is estimated to account for over 250,000 deaths annually.  Although all known heart diseases can lead to SCA, the life-threatening arrhythmia of ventricular fibrillation (VF) is the leading cause.  Early recognition of arrhythmia and subsequent defibrillation is the most important factor in survival from a cardiac arrest due to VF.  Approximately 80 percent of people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest are at home when it happens.

An AED, or automated external defibrillator, is a portable machine that is designed to use an algorithm to distinguish VF from other cardiac rhythms, advise the rescuer that a shockable rhythm is present, and then allow for the delivery of the appropriate amplitude shock to "restart" the individual's heart.  AEDs are designed to be used by lay rescuers or "first responders."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the HeartStart Home OTC Defibrillator (Philips Medical Systems, Seattle, WA) for home use through the 510(k) approval process on September 16, 2004.  The previous version of this device required a prescription.  However, this device is available without a prescription (FDA, 2004).  There are additional devices for home use that have also been cleared by the FDA (e.g., the HeartSine Samaritan^® PAD [HeartSine Technologies, Inc., San Clemente, CA]).

Cardiac arrhythmia: a disturbance in the electrical activity of the heart that manifests as an abnormality in the heart rate or heart rhythm; patients with arrhythmias may experience a wide variety of symptoms ranging from palpitations to fainting

Coronary artery: one of a pair of vessels that supply blood to the myocardium (middle layer of the walls of the heart)

Coronary artery disease: narrowing of the coronary arteries sufficient to prevent adequate blood supply to the myocardium

Defibrillation: a process in which an electronic device sends an electric shock to the heart to stop an extremely rapid, irregular heartbeat, and restore the normal heart rhythm

Ejection fraction: a measure of ventricular contractility

Fibrillation: very rapid contractions or twitching of small muscle fibers in the heart

Tachycardia: an abnormally rapid heart beat

Ventricle: one of two lower chambers of the heart

The following codes for treatments and procedures applicable to this document are included below for informational purposes.  Inclusion or exclusion of a procedure, diagnosis or device code(s) does not constitute or imply member coverage or provider reimbursement policy.  Please refer to the member's contract benefits in effect at the time of service to determine coverage or non-coverage of these services as it applies to an individual member. 

When services are Investigational and Not Medically Necessary:

Peer Reviewed Publications:

1. Bardy GH, Lee KL, Mark DB, et al. for the HAT Investigators. Home use of automated external defibrillators for sudden cardiac arrest. N Engl J Med. 2008; 358(17):1793-1804.
2. Cecchin F, Jorgenson DB, Berul CI, et al. Is arrhythmia detection by automatic external defibrillator accurate for children? Circulation. 2001; 103(20):2483-2484.
3. Hallstrom AP, Ornato JP, Weisfeldt M, et al. Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) Trial Investigators. Public-access defibrillation and survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. N Engl J Med. 2004; 351(7):637-646.
4. Kadish A. Public-Access Defibrillation: Advances and Controversies. Primary Care Perspectives. Medscape Primary Care. 2004; Volume 6(1). 
5. Koster RW. Automatic external defibrillator: key link in the chain of survival. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2002; 13:S92–S95.
6. Lee BK, Olgin JE. Role of wearable and automatic external defibrillators in improving survival in patients at risk for sudden cardiac death. Curr Treat Options Cardiovasc Med. 2009; 11(5):360-365.
7. Marenco JP, Wang PJ, Link MS.  Improving survival from sudden cardiac arrest:  the role of the automatic external defibrillator.  JAMA.  2001; 286(1):47-49.
8. Sanna T, La Torre G, de Waure C, et al. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation alone vs. cardiopulmonary resuscitation plus automated external defibrillator use by non-healthcare professionals: a meta-analysis on 1583 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation 2008; 76(2): 226-232.  Available at:  http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/crdweb/ShowRecord.asp?View=Full&ID=12008103028.  Accessed on February 23, 2010.
9. Solomon SD, Zelenkofske S, McMurray JJV, et al.  Sudden death in patients with myocardial infarction and left ventricular dysfunction, heart failure, or both.  NEJM. 2005; 352(25):2581-2588.  Erratum in:  NEJM. 2005; 18; 353(7):744.
10. Sparks KE. Owning a Home Defibrillator: Security Blanket or Excuse to Do Nothing? Primary Care Perspectives. Medscape Primary Care. 2004; Volume 6(1). 

Government Agency, Medical Society, and Other Authoritative Publications:

1. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. "Treatment to Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death." Available  at: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/suddcard.pdf.  Accessed on March 19, 2010.
2. American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) Clinical Practice Guideline: Resuscitation and Defibrillation in the Health Care Setting.  2004 revision and update to 1995 Guideline on Defibrillation during Resuscitation and the 1993 Guideline on Resuscitation in Acute Care Hospitals. Available at:  http://www.rcjournal.com/contents/09.04/09.04.1085.pdf Accessed on February 23, 2010.
3. Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) Committee, Subcommittees and Task Forces of the American Heart Association. 2005 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. Circulation. 2005; 112(24 Suppl):IV1-203.
4. Epstein AE, DiMarco JP, Ellenbogen KA, et al. American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the ACC/AHA/NASPE 2002 Guideline Update for Implantation of Cardiac Pacemakers and Antiarrhythmia Devices); American Association for Thoracic Surgery; Society of Thoracic Surgeons. ACC/AHA/HRS 2008 Guidelines for Device-Based Therapy of Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the ACC/AHA/NASPE 2002 Guideline Update for Implantation of Cardiac Pacemakers and Antiarrhythmia Devices) developed in collaboration with the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Am Coll Cardiol. 2008; 51(21):e1-62.  Available at:  http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/reprint/51/21/e1.pdf.  Accessed on February 23, 2010.
5. Hazinski MF, Idris AH, Kerber RE, et al.  Lay rescuer automated external defibrillator (public access defibrillation) programs:  lessons learned from an international multi-center trial.  Advisory statement from the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Committee; the Council on Cardiopulmonary, Perioperative, and Critical Care; and the Council on Clinical Cardiology.  Circulation. 2005; 111(24):3336-3340.
6. Kushner FG, Hand M, Smith SC Jr, et al. 2009 focused updates: ACC/AHA guidelines for the management of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (updating the 2004 guideline and 2007 focused update) and ACC/AHA/SCAI guidelines on percutaneous coronary intervention (updating the 2005 guideline and 2007 focused update): a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009; 54:2205– 2241.  Available at:  http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/reprint/54/23/2205.pdf.  Accessed on February 23, 2010.
7. Murray CL, Steffensen I.  Automated external defibrillators for home use.  Issues in Emerging Health Technologies.  Issue 69.  Ottawa, ON:  Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), formerly the Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (CCOHTA).  June 2005.  Available at:  http://www.cadth.ca/media/pdf/363_external_defrib_revised_cetap_e.pdf.  Accessed on February 23, 2010.
8. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).  Home Use of Automatic External Defibrillators to Treat Sudden Cardiac Arrest (HAT Trial). NLM Identifier: NCT00047411. Last updated on March 6, 2008.  Available at: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov.  Accessed on February 23, 2010.
9. Priori SG, Bossaert LL, Chamberlain DA, et al. ESC-ERC recommendations for the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in Europe. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Policy Conference: December 2002.  Eur Heart J. 2004; 25:437-445.
10. Samson RA, Berg RA, Bingham R. An Advisory Statement from the Pediatric Advanced Life Support Task Force, International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation. Circulation. 2003; 107:3250-3255.  Available at:  http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/107/25/3250.  Accessed on February 23, 2010.
11. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Center for Devices and Radiological Health 510(k) Premarket Notification Database.  New device clearance: Philips HeartStart Home OTC Defibrillator (Seattle, WA) Summary of Safety and Effectiveness. No. K040904.  September 16, 2004.  Available at:  http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf4/k040904.pdf.  Accessed on February 23, 2010.
12. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Center for Devices and Radiological Health 510(k) Premarket Notification Database.  HeartSine Samaritan^® PAD (HeartSine Technologies, Inc., San Clemente, CA) Summary of Safety and Effectiveness.  No. K041067. May 25, 2004.  Available at:  http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf4/K041067.pdf.  Accessed on February 23, 2010.
13. Zipes DP, Camm AJ, Borggrefe M, et al. ACC/AHA/ESC 2006 guidelines for management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force and the European Society of Cardiology Committee for Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to develop guidelines for management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death).  Circ. 2006; 114:1088-1132.  Available at:   http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/reprint/48/5/e247.pdf.  Accessed on February 23, 2010.

1. American Heart Association. Available at: http://www.americanheart.org. Accessed on February 23, 2010.
2. Product information for consumers.  Philips Medical Systems Seattle, WA. Available at:  http://www.heartstarthome.com/content/UK/about_us/heartstart_news_detail.asp.  Accessed on February 23, 2010.

AED
Automatic External Defibrillator