AED Statistics 2026
AED and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Statistics 2026
How common is cardiac arrest in America, and how much can an AED improve the odds of survival? Discover the numbers behind cardiac arrest, survival, and AED impact, backed by leading registries and medical research.
- 📅 Updated 5 October 2026
- ⏱ 10 min read
- ✓ 25 primary sources
- ✓ CARES 2025 registry data (released May 2026)
- ✓ AHA 2026 statistics
- ✓ Every number sourced
- See all sources
Key facts (CARES 2025 Annual Report)
- In 2025, EMS treated about 271,641 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the U.S., with 10.5% of patients surviving to hospital discharge.
- For bystander-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with an initial shockable rhythm, survival to hospital discharge is 33.2%, underscoring the importance of rapid CPR and defibrillation.
- Survival reaches 47% when a bystander delivers the first AED shock, yet bystanders used an AED in just 13.9% of public cardiac arrests.
01 How many sudden cardiac arrests happen in the US?
In 2025, EMS treated about 271,641 non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the U.S., equal to 79.9 cases per 100,000 people. Each year, roughly 292,000 adults and 15,200 children experience in-hospital cardiac arrest, while cardiac arrest appeared on 380,349 U.S. death certificates in 2023.
Where out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen
Source: CARES 2025 National Summary Report, n = 140,425 arrests.
02 What is the survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest?
Survival to hospital discharge by circumstance, US 2025
Source: CARES 2025 Annual Report and National Summary Report. Bars on a 0 to 100% scale.
03How much does an AED improve survival?
| Study | Setting | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| Pollack 2018, Circulation | Public arrests with a shockable rhythm, 9 North American regions | 66.5% survival with a bystander AED shock vs 43.0% (adjusted odds 2.62 times higher) |
| Weisfeldt 2010, JACC | 13,769 out-of-hospital arrests | 24% survival with an AED applied before EMS vs 9% with CPR only; 38% when the AED delivered a shock |
| Hallstrom 2004, NEJM (PAD Trial) | 993 community sites | Sites with volunteers trained in CPR plus AED had twice as many survivors as CPR-only sites (30 vs 15) |
| Valenzuela 2000, NEJM | Nevada casinos, security officers with AEDs | 53% survived; 74% when shocked within 3 minutes of a witnessed collapse vs 49% after 3 minutes |
| Caffrey 2002, NEJM | Chicago airports, public-access AEDs | 10 of 18 patients in ventricular fibrillation alive and neurologically intact at one year |
| Drezner 2013, BJSM | 2,149 US high schools with AED programs | 71% of cardiac arrest victims survived to discharge, including 89% of student-athletes |
AEDs are designed to deliver shocks only when appropriate, with field data showing 99.9% specificity in rhythm analysis and very rarely recommending shocks for non-shockable rhythms (Macdonald et al., 2001).
04Time to shock: how fast does survival fall?
05 Bystander CPR and training statistics
Sources: CARES 2025 Annual Report; Blewer 2017; Owen 2018.
Bystander CPR improves survival to 12.8%, compared with 7.7% without it. Although 13.1 million Americans received CPR training in one year, local training rates varied widely, affecting access to immediate help.
06 Who is affected: children, athletes and women
| Group | Statistic | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Infants, children, teens | Survival to discharge after an out-of-hospital arrest: infants 7.4%, ages 1 to 12 14.1%, ages 13 to 18 18.5% | 2025 AHA Guidelines (CARES 2024) |
| NCAA athletes | Sudden cardiac death 1 in 53,703 athlete-years; Division I men's basketball 1 in 5,200 | Harmon 2015 |
| High school athletes | Males 1 in 43,932 athlete-years vs females 1 in 203,786 | Peterson 2021 |
| Women in public places | Bystander CPR 39% for women vs 45% for men | Blewer 2018 |
| Women, 2025 data | Public AED use 11.7% vs 13.4% for men; survival 9.5% vs 11.0% | CARES 2025 |
| Low-income Black neighborhoods | About half the odds of receiving bystander CPR (odds ratio 0.49) | Sasson 2012 |
School AED programs can significantly improve emergency preparedness. In Connecticut, the percentage of high schools equipped with an AED increased from 49% to 88% following the state’s school AED law, showing how legislation can expand access to lifesaving defibrillation equipment (Thornton, 2020).
07 AED regulation in the US
FDA premarket approval
The FDA’s premarket approval (PMA) requirement for AED systems took effect on February 3, 2015, establishing PMA as the required pathway for AEDs marketed in the United States rather than 510(k) clearance. The same PMA requirement for AED pads and batteries began on February 3, 2022, strengthening federal oversight of these critical components.
Why the FDA acted
The FDA has documented more than 40 Class I and II AED recalls, involving over 2 million devices, highlighting the importance of proper AED maintenance and recall monitoring. For workplaces, OSHA does not specifically require AEDs under its federal standards, so workplace requirements generally depend on state laws and industry-specific regulations.
How many AEDs does a building need? Use our AED quantity calculator.
08 Myths vs verified facts
| Often repeated | What the evidence says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Myth "Survival drops 7 to 10% every minute" | Fact The traceable figure is 5.5% per minute with no CPR or shock, slower with CPR | Larsen 1993 |
| Myth "70% survive if shocked within 3 minutes" | Fact 74%, but only for witnessed VF arrests in casinos with trained security officers | Valenzuela 2000 |
| Myth "350,000 cardiac arrests a year" | Fact About 271,641 EMS-treated arrests outside hospitals in 2025; older counts included arrests EMS assessed but did not treat | CARES 2025 |
| Myth "Only 6% survive" | Fact 10.5% survive to hospital discharge | CARES 2025 |
| Myth "CPR triples survival" | Fact 12.8% vs 7.7%, about 1.7 times (unadjusted) | CARES 2025 |
| Myth "90% survive with an AED" | Fact No primary source; the best observed figures are 66.5% (bystander shock, shockable public arrests) and 74% (casinos, within 3 minutes) | Pollack 2018; Valenzuela 2000 |
| Myth "10,000 cardiac arrests at work each year" | Fact An uncited OSHA estimate from 2003; no federal agency tracks this today | OSHA 3185 (2003) |
What these numbers mean if you are buying an AED
Early defibrillation can make a critical difference before EMS arrives. For a more affordable AED solution, a recertified device backed by a written warranty can reduce upfront costs while providing essential protection. Compare AED models, pricing, warranty coverage, and estimated 10-year ownership costs before making a purchase.
09 Frequently asked questions
How much does an AED increase survival?
In 2025, 47% of patients survived when a bystander delivered the first AED shock, compared with 27–28% when EMS or another first responder delivered it first (CARES 2025). In witnessed public cardiac arrests with a shockable rhythm, bystander AED use was associated with 66.5% survival, versus 43.0% when EMS provided the initial shock (Pollack et al., 2018).
How long does it take EMS to arrive?
In 2025, the median EMS response time was 7.6 minutes from the 911 call to arrival at the cardiac arrest scene, according to CARES data.
10 Sources
- CARES. 2025 Annual Report, released May 2026. mycares.net
- CARES. 2025 Non-Traumatic National Summary Report, 2026. PDF
- CARES. 2025 Metrics Summary, 2026. PDF
- American Heart Association. 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, At-a-Glance. heart.org
- Del Rios M, et al. 2025 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC, Executive Summary. Circulation 2025. cpr.heart.org
- Holmberg MJ, et al. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2019 (US in-hospital cardiac arrest incidence). doi
- Pollack RA, et al. Circulation 2018 (bystander AED use in shockable public arrests). doi
- Weisfeldt ML, et al. JACC 2010 (AED application before EMS arrival). doi
- Hallstrom AP, et al. NEJM 2004 (Public Access Defibrillation Trial). doi
- Valenzuela TD, et al. NEJM 2000 (rapid defibrillation by casino security officers). doi
- Caffrey SL, et al. NEJM 2002 (public use of AEDs at Chicago airports). doi
- Larsen MP, et al. Ann Emerg Med 1993 (survival model for witnessed VF). doi
- Macdonald RD, et al. Ann Emerg Med 2001 (AED performance in the field). doi
- Drezner JA, et al. BJSM 2013 (US high schools with AED programs). doi
- Harmon KG, et al. Circulation 2015 (sudden cardiac death in NCAA athletes). doi
- Peterson DF, et al. BJSM 2021 (cardiac arrest in young US competitive athletes). doi
- Blewer AL, et al. JAHA 2017 (CPR training in the US). doi
- Owen DD, et al. Resuscitation 2018 (US public AED training survey). doi
- Anderson ML, et al. JAMA Intern Med 2014 (US CPR training rates by county). doi
- Blewer AL, et al. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2018 (gender and bystander CPR in public). doi
- Sasson C, et al. NEJM 2012 (neighborhood characteristics and bystander CPR). doi
- Thornton A, et al. Pediatric Emergency Care 2020 (Connecticut high school AED study). doi
- US FDA. Premarket approval requirement for AED systems. Federal Register, 3 February 2015. federalregister.gov
- US FDA. Necessary AED accessories: compliance date policy. Federal Register, 28 October 2020. federalregister.gov
- OSHA. Automated External Defibrillators, osha.gov/aed; OSHA 3185 (2003), PDF
This page is for education and does not replace medical advice or CPR and AED training. In an emergency, call 911.
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