Does every physician's office need an automated external defibrillator?(PRO & CON)

YES

Much like a fire extinguisher, an automated external defibrillator belongs in every physician's office.

While it may be used more frequently in a cardiologist's office than in a dermatologist's office, an AED is useful and cost effective in both settings.

Physicians need to consider more than just the type of patients in their practice when deciding on an AED. The distance to the nearest hospital or the likely response time for an ambulance should be taken into account as well.

Statistics on the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest in physicians' offices vary and are often underreported. Overall, about 340,000 Americans die each year from sudden cardiac arrest, according to 2004 statistics from the American Heart Association. The AHA reports that sudden cardiac arrest accounts for 19% of sudden deaths among children age 1-13 years.

Without defibrillation, only 2%-5% of victims of sudden cardiac arrest survive, compared with 50%-70% of those who receive defibrillation within 3-5 minutes.

Cost was a major obstacle to deployment of AEDs about 5 years ago, when a single device cost about $4,000. But prices have come down dramatically, and a practice can now purchase an AED for as little as $1,500. While it may seem like a lot of money, over the 5- to 10-year lifetime of the device, it's only a couple of hundred dollars a year.