Landskrona defibrillator access criticized after woman survives cardiac arrest

A woman in Landskrona, Sweden, survived a cardiac arrest after receiving eight minutes of CPR, despite a nearby defibrillator being inaccessible because it was locked inside a police station.

Samantha Eklind, a cardiac ward nurse, discovered the woman in her 40s outside a police station. While Eklind performed CPR, others attempted to retrieve the defibrillator, but found the door locked. According to Hjärt-Lungfonden, survival rates for cardiac arrest are between 50 and 70 percent if a defibrillator is used within three to five minutes.

The incident highlights a broader issue with equipment availability. In Landskrona, only 26 out of 88 registered defibrillators are accessible 24/7, as many are located in private businesses that close at night. The Hjärtstartarregistret confirms that fewer than one in three defibrillators in Sweden are available around the clock.