Vergleichende Untersuchungen zur Zuverlässigkeit automatisierter externer Defibrillatoren / Comparative Reliability Analysis of Automatic External Defibrillators

Abstract

Automatic external defibrillators are gaining increasing acceptance. Last year 6000 devices were installed in Germany. Since the average user has only limited medical knowledge, high demands have to be made on the automatic ECG diagnosis (fibrillation detection). Within the framework of this study a fully automatic test system that permits an objective comparison of the performance of the various devices available on the market was constructed. Older devices in particular do not always meet the requirements defined by international standards with regard to sensitivity and specificity. In addition, company philosophy appears to differ in terms of the preferential emphasis on sensitivity or specificity. Purchasers of such devices need take these findings into consideration.

System for the detection and analysis of vital functions in unconscious casualties for use by first aiders

“…It is impractical to compare the sensitivity of about 79% and the specificity of about 96% that is based on simulated datasets after eight seconds to other systems since there are no comparable systems as of yet. If one compares the system with an AED (sensitivity and specificity of around 97% - [6]) it seems that the sensitivity as well as the specificity should be increased significantly. Further development will focus on including parameters of the time domain in the classification process.…”