Definitions

For purposes of this Act:

(a)Automated external defibrillator

(AED)means a device which: COL 1/26/2024 CH. 96 PUBLIC ACCESS TO AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATION ACT OF 2000

(1)is used to administer an electric shock through the chest wall to the heart;

(2)has built-in computers within the device to assess the patient’s heart rhythm, judge whether defibrillation is needed and then administers the shock;

(3)has audible and/or visual prompts to guide the user through the process;

(4)has received approval of its pre-market modification, filed pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 360(k), from the United States Food and Drug Administration;

(5)is capable of recognizing the presence or absence of ventricular fibrillation and rapid ventricular tachycardia, and is capable of determining, without intervention by an operator, whether defibrillation should be performed;

(6)upon determining that defibrillation should be performed, either automatically charges and delivers an electrical impulse to an individual’s heart, or charges and delivers an electrical impulse at the command of the operator; and

(7)in the case of a defibrillator that may be operated in either an automatic or a manual mode, is set to operate in the automatic mode.

(b)Cardiac arrest means a condition, often sudden, that is due to abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias. It is generally the result of some underlying form of heart disease.

(c)CPR means a combination of rescue breathing and chest compressions/external cardiac massage used to sustain a person’s life until advanced assistance arrives.

(d)Defibrillation means administering an electrical impulse to an individual’s heart in order to stop ventricular fibrillation or rapid ventricular tachycardia.

(e)Emergency medical services system means the transportation and medical care provided the critically ill or injured prior to arrival at a medical facility by a certified COL 1/26/2024 CH. 96 PUBLIC ACCESS TO AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATION ACT OF 2000 emergency medical technician, or other health care provider, and continuation of the initial emergency care within a medical facility, subject to the approval of the medical staff and governing board of that facility.

(f)Medical authority means a health services organization or medical organization, with physician medical direction.

(g)Physician means a Guam-licensed Doctor of Medicine (“M.D.”) or Doctor of Osteopathy (“D.O.”).

(h)Person means any individual, partnership, association, corporation or any organized group of persons whether incorporated or not.

(i)Ventricular fibrillation means the most common arrhythmia that causes cardiac arrest. It is a condition in which the heart’s electrical impulses suddenly become chaotic, often without warning, causing the heart’s pumping action to stop abruptly.