Development Strategies in Medical Education

Introduction: Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is one of the most life-threatening medical emergencies.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in three distinct phases. In the first phase, the device was evaluated for its ability to distinguish between shockable and non-shockable rhythms. In the second phase, the output energy of the Iranian defibrillator and its accuracy in delivering appropriate energy for shockable rhythms were assessed. In the third phase, the diagnostic accuracy of the Iranian defibrillator was evaluated under real emergency conditions within the hospitals affiliated with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences at the Clinical Skills Center.

Results: In the first phase, the interpretive indices of the Iranian defibrillator for distinguishing between shockable and non-shockable rhythms were determined and reported. All testing and evaluation procedures were conducted separately for different age groups, including adults and children, with 100% accuracy. In the second phase, the device's design team thoroughly examined the accuracy of the device in delivering appropriate energy for shockable rhythms. In the third phase, during real clinical use, the device's specificity—its ability to discriminate non-shockable rhythms and withhold shock delivery—was 99.60% with a confidence interval of 99.18% - 99.84%.

Conclusion: The Iranian automated external defibrillator demonstrated acceptable performance in identifying critical cardiac rhythms, including Ventricular Fibrillation (VF), Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia (VT), Asystole, and Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA).