Comparison of Pediatric and Adult ECG Rhythm Analysis by Automated External Defibrillators During Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

This study validates the performance of a commercial automated external defibrillator (AED) on pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest interventions. It shows that the AED with settings validated for adults does not worsen its performance in children, except for rapid non-shockable rhythms (-2%). Further, this study compares 14 behavioral ECG characteristics (6 morphological, 4 band-pass QRS filter, 4 spectral) on adult and pediatric rhythms, highlighting significant rhythm-specific changes. Discriminant models trained on adults and tested on pediatrics highlight 6 features with the most powerful AUC>0.9 and the most robust AUC (Pediatric-Adult)>-0. 025. The design of AED shock advisory algorithm, equally safe for adults and pediatrics is possible if the embedded ECG analysis features fulfil the above criteria.