November 2002
Volume XXVIII, Number 5

	Inside This Issue Defibrillator on Duty Saving Lives in Pittsburgh AEDs: No Experience Required Sudden Cardiac Arrest--Not A Heart Attack New Laws Protect AED Users Motorcycles Equipped With AEDs Overweight Americans Face Serious Health Risks Help For Heart Failure Nuts: Tasty and Heart Healthy Winning Health Recipe of the Month

All fifty states have enacted defibrillator laws or adopted regulations, and many have expanded their good Samaritan acts to include the use of AEDs. Most of the bills enacted in the past three years allow any person to use an AED "for the purpose of saving the life of another person in cardiac arrest."

Florida was the first state to adopt a broad public access law in April 1997. In 2000, broad AED bills became law in Kentucky, North Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. In 2001, Maine became the 50th state to enact such legislation. Also, Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, and Oregon passed additional laws clarifying or expanding on earlier language.

To minimize legal liability risk, design a careful program, promote good Samaritan laws, and explore insurance options, advises the National Center for Early Defibrillation.

Some private insurance companies and AED manufacturers offer plans that protect AED purchasers from certain claims. For a listing of laws on cardiac arrest and defibrillators, visit the Web site of the National Conference of State Legislatures at www.ncsl.org/programs/health/aed.htm.