INFO FRANCEINFO. Nearly a third of cardiac defibrillators installed in France are out of service

Nearly a third of cardiac defibrillators installed in train stations, businesses, town halls and even in the street are out of service, Franceinfo revealed on Wednesday May 29. Between 2021 and 2023, 6,021 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) were inspected by the company Matecir Defibril. Franceinfo had access to the maintenance audit of this specialized company and according to its projections, almost a third of the 500,000 defibrillators installed in France are out of service.

Establishments which receive the public are obliged to install one, but often they do not know that they must also ensure that they work well, they must regularly change the battery cells and the electrodes. Because it is proven, defibrillators save lives, explains the president of the association for the census and location of defibrillators Bruno Thomas-Lamotte: “The survival rate for cardiac arrests is very low in France, it is around 7 or 8%, before defibrillators, it was 2%, so that clearly proves that there is an interest.”

Note also that almost 60% of the defibrillators inspected by Matecir Defibril present “an anomaly that could lead to a malfunction”, indicates Arlod, an association for the census and location of defibrillators. She is calling for a law to require operators to ensure the proper functioning of defibrillators, similar to what is done for fire extinguishers. The installation of defibrillators throughout the country is an action undertaken by the public authorities since 2007, as part of the fight against sudden death.

According to the Ministry of Labor, Health and Solidarity, each year between 40,000 and 50,000 people die suddenly because they did not benefit from the help of a person who could have saved their life by practicing first aid gestures using a defibrillator while the rescue teams intervene.