Automatic defibrillators on the frontline against heart failure

With heart failure the most common cause of death in the Western world, leading to around 350,000 European fatalities every year, many countries, including Greece, are seeking to ensure the availability of defibrillators to increase the survival rate. At the moment there are 519 external automatic devices in Greece, while efforts are being made to increase this number. Drama in northern Greece has become a model to be studied, with 42 automatic defibrillators installed throughout the city, in the local stadium, town hall, the conservatory, in churches, schools, the courthouse and in the central square.