Prepare to be shocked: The evolving standard of care in treating sudden cardiac arrest

Standards of care are devised by juries in courts of law. They “evolve,” in part, according to public expectations as those expectations are honed by the profession in its literature, its forums, and as reported in the popular press and media. Sudden cardiac arrest is a major killer in the United States. A significant number of deaths from sudden cardiac arrest can be prevented by using automatic external defibrillators in the out-of-hospital setting. These devices have become cost effective, reliable, and readily available and the standard of care requiring their use in the out-of-hospital setting has arrived.