Royal Philips : Philips highlights importance of 6-minute ‘time-to-defib’ zone during Dutch Marathon

Immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) followed by defibrillation with an automated external defibrillator (AED) within six minutes offers victims of cardiac arrest a significantly increased chance of survival. To highlight the importance of an AED being within 6-minute reach, three runners in the recent 2019 Eindhoven Marathon (October 13, 2019) wore specially designed running vests each fitted with an integrated GPS tracker and a woven LED display. During the race, each time they came within 6-minute range of a community-based AED, the pulsating heart symbol on their running vest changed from red to green, with a continuously updated 'time to AED' display underneath it. Sponsored by Philips, the vests were part of a newly launched national AED awareness campaign aimed at making the Netherlands a more 'heart-safe' country.