Life-Saving Heart Devices Absent From Many Hotels
Guests may be shocked to learn that hotels don't have defibrillators.
Feb. 25, 2009 — -- You're much more likely to find a 24-hour concierge, room service and a fully stocked minibar during your next hotel stay than an automated external defibrillator.
AEDs, used to restart a faltering heart and estimated by doctors to dramatically increase the chances of surviving a heart attack, are hard to find in a place where people are likely to need them the most: hotels.
AED advocates say that while many other places, including airlinesmalls, schools and federal buildings, have embraced programs that train their employees to operate the life-saving devices, hotels and resorts still resist them, citing liability concerns.
"The travel and tourism industry has a good track record for making AEDs available, starting with the airlines and major airports, as well as shopping malls, golf courses, health clubs and amusement parks," said Chris Chiames, the executive director of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association.
"In general, hotels have not followed suit," said Chiames.
A representative from the American Hotel and Lodging Association, an advocacy group that represents hotel owners, said that lodging facilities have not uniformly decided to provide training and AEDs because they worry about being sued if employees operate the devices incorrectly.
"Some of the hotels have serious concerns about liability and the lack of a strong, national Good Samaritan protection," said Joe McInerney, the president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
"They're worried they'll hurt someone by using an AED and face a tremendous liability lawsuit," said McInerney.
Good Samaritan laws, which protect bystanders from liability for accidental harm done while trying to help other people, would not apply to hotel employees who would have to be trained to use AEDS, said attorney Neil Rosen, a Pittsburgh-based trial lawyer at Rosen Louik & Perry.
According to Rosen, hotels could be held accountable for a staff member's misuse of an AED because they would not be considered "bystanders" to the incident and therefore would not be covered by the good Samaritan laws.
Hotels' lack of interest "in having AEDs stems from the fact that they'd not only have to train their staff on how to use them but that if the staff makes a mistake and ends up killing someone or not properly using them then they potentially have tort liability as a result of their negligence," said Rosen.
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