Defibrillators Classified as Life Support

• 7/9/2009
• Author: Kristine Miller
• Category: EC News Blog
• 25009 Views
• 0 Comments
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The Joint Commission has just classified defibrillators as "life support" equipment. I think that’s a good idea, don’t you?
 
Defibrillators save lives. You could consider them the first line of defense in a Code Blue/cardiac arrest situation.
 
So—what if the defib the health care provider grabs is the one that fails? Then it wouldn’t matter if the life support equipment down the road is all cool and functional. There might be no life left to save.
 
You can read all about this decision here in a new FAQ from The Joint Commission Web site.