Health and fitness clubs urged to install AEDs

March 7, 2002

The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) have issued a joint position statement urging health and fitness clubs to implement automated external defibrillation (AED) programs. "Effective placement and use of AEDs at all health/fitness facilities is encouraged, as permitted by law, to achieve the goal of minimizing the time between recognition of cardiac arrest and successful defibrillation," according to the statement.

The AHA and ACSM recommend that AED programs are particularly important for facilities with memberships of 2,500 or more, facilities with special programs for the elderly or people with medical conditions, and facilities in locations where the EMS response time (time from recognition of the cardiac arrest until the first shock is delivered by emergency medical services) is likely to exceed five minutes. For unsupervised exercise facilities, for example, those in hotels and apartment buildings, the AHA and ACSM recommend that there should be an overall AED response plan for the host facility that includes the exercise room.

For the AHA article, published in Circulation, click here.

For the ACSM article, published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, click here. (Subscription required for access)

For the AHA news report, click here.

For WebMD report, click here.

For NCED’s "On-Site AED Placement Guide," click here.

For NCED’s quick guide to "Starting an AED Program: 10 Steps to Success," click here.