In the UK, around 70 per cent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the home, most commonly in front of a family member or someone who knows the person. Public locations such as streets, workplaces, sports venues, and shops account for most of the remainder, with a smaller proportion occurring in care homes and other residential settings.
This pattern has important implications for how we think about bystander response. Because most cardiac arrests happen at home, the people most likely to witness one are family members, partners, and friends rather than trained first responders. Learning CPR and knowing where your nearest defibrillator is matters for everyone, not just those who work in public-facing roles.
It also means that people with a known cardiac condition, and their households, have a particular reason to consider having a home AED and ensuring that those around them know how to use it. Around 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are attended by ambulance services in England each year, and survival rates are significantly higher when bystander CPR begins before the ambulance arrives.