Workplace success stories with AEDs are nothing new. Take for example ArvinMeritor, Inc. , which manufactures integrated systems and modules for passenger cars and light trucks. It has 150 manufacturing facilities worldwide. Many of these facilities are in very remote areas. After experiencing five sudden death cardiac arrests in recent years, ArvinMeritor, Inc., in 2005 initiated a Cardiac Arrest Response System (CARS) that includes placing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in all 150 of the company's manufacturing sites worldwide.
Approximately 450,000 people die each year from sudden cardiac arrest in the United States. Throughout the years, ArvinMeritor's various facilities reported five sudden cardiac arrests. Early defibrillation is the only definitive treatment for sudden cardiac arrest. The best "save" rates have been reported when the electric shock is delivered within three minutes of the patient's collapse. The average response time for emergency services, however, is 10 to 12 minutes, which may not be fast enough for the patient to survive. Response time is a particular concern at the many ArvinMeritor facilities located in remote areas, where emergency services are further away.