(1) Approximately three hundred twenty-five thousand (325,000) Americans suffer sudden cardiac arrest ('SCA') each year and more than ninety-five percent (95%) of them die before reaching the hospital; (2) In the population of Rhode Island, an estimated one thousand (1,000) residents will die of cardiac arrest every year; (3) Healthcare facilities, as well as facilities that host large numbers of visitors, are more likely to experience an event that requires an automated external defibrillator ('AED'); (4) If defibrillation is performed within five (5) to seven (7) minutes, chances of survival are increased by forty-nine percent (49%). Every minute that goes by without defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by seven percent (7%) to ten percent (10%); (5) Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are extremely accurate computerized devices that can be operated by the average person; and (6) Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) can be acquired through grants from various organizations or through government agencies. History of Section.P.L. 2017, ch. 388, § 1; P.L. 2017, ch. 433, § 1; P.L. 2024, ch.
nal defibrillators (AEDs) can be acquired through grants from various organizations or through government agencies. History of Section.P.L. 2017, ch. 388, § 1; P.L. 2017, ch. 433, § 1; P.L. 2024, ch. 388, § 2, effective September 1, 2024; P.L. 2024, ch. 389, § 2, effective September 1, 2024.Rhode Island Legal Code