Definitions. — Guam Code § 96103

§ 96103. Definitions.

For purposes of this Act:

(a) Automated external defibrillator (AED) means a device

which:

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

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.