When a cardiac arrest occurs in an apartment complex, delivering an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to the patient within the critical time window is a crucial factor determining survival. However, the current placement of AEDs relies heavi...
When a cardiac arrest occurs in an apartment complex, delivering an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to the patient within the critical time window is a crucial factor determining survival. However, the current placement of AEDs relies heavily on fixed locations that prioritize administrative convenience—such as management offices, security guard rooms, and first-floor lobbies—which poses distinct limitations in ensuring the survival of high-rise residents. According to the "2025 Statistical Yearbook of 119 Rescue Services" published by the National Fire Agency, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients transported by 119 emergency medical services (EMS) in 2024 reached 33,077; however, only 422 cases (1.3%) received the Heart Saver certification for bystander intervention. The actual layperson AED utilization rate remains critically low at 0.1–0.4% (Ahn et al., 2023), which is approximately one-fiftieth of the "over 20% pre-EMS AED application rate" target proposed by the 2025 AHA Guidelines. This study proposes an AED placement method based on a Vertical Transport System utilizing the interior of elevators in each residential building, aiming to verify its time-reduction effects and resident acceptability through simulations and surveys. Methods: A mixed-methods research design was adopted for this study. For the simulation, the total defibrillation time model proposed by Baek et al. (2025) was utilized as a baseline. The analysis was conducted using multidimensional scenarios cross-referencing real-time elevator locations (E1: stopped at patient's floor, E2: middle floor, E3: standby at 1st floor, E4: farthest floor)—which were not addressed in previous models—and complex sizes (D1–D3, 50–150 m) against the floor of patient occurrence (5th–30th floors) and temporal conditions (normal, nighttime, rush hour, occupied). Furthermore, a survey of 385 apartment residents was conducted to measure five dimensions: awareness of AED locations, accessibility of current placements, acceptability of elevator-linked placements, intention to use, and potential for integration with the 119 dispatch guidance system. Results: Simulation results indicated that the current fixed-location placement exceeded the target response time (240 seconds) across all combinations of complex sizes and occurrence floors. Even on the 5th floor of the most optimal small-scale complex, the response time exceeded the target time by more than 50 seconds, while high-floor scenarios in large-scale complexes required more than double the time limit. In contrast, the elevator-linked placement enabled arrival within the target time across all floors, recording a weighted average of 199–220 seconds based on location scenarios. The time-reduction effect expanded from approximately 160 seconds for the 5th floor to 272 seconds for the 30th floor, demonstrating an increased relative advantage for higher floors. However, in occupied scenarios (e.g., delivery or moving services), potential delays were observed due to additional wait times, confirming the necessity of designating dedicated AED elevators and deploying supplementary AEDs on the first floor. The survey analysis revealed that nearly half of the respondents were unaware of the AED locations within their residential complexes. A paired t-test demonstrated that the perceived accessibility of the management office was significantly lower than that of the elevator-linked placement (t = 12.613, p 〈 .001, Cohen's d = 0.643). Moreover, the intention to use an AED was significantly higher among those with prior training experience compared to those without (t = 3.937, p 〈 .001). Although acceptability among high-floor residents (16th floor and above) was slightly higher than that of low-floor residents, the difference was not statistically significant (t = 1.566, p = .118). The perceived helpfulness of 119 dispatcher guidance exhibited strong positive correlations with both the acceptability of elevator installation and the likelihood of actual usage (r = .556 and r = .709, respectively, p 〈 .001), suggesting that integrating the 119 telephone-assisted defibrillation system with the elevator-linked placement could generate substantial policy synergy. Conclusion: The AED placement strategy utilizing elevators as a vertical transport system is proposed as a viable policy alternative that can fundamentally improve cardiac arrest response in high-rise apartment complexes. According to an analysis of National Medical Center data, among the 14,422 AEDs deployed in apartment complexes nationwide, in-cabin elevator installations were virtually nonexistent. However, a pilot installation in a 37-story high-rise building in Busan in 2021 supports that this proposal is a feasible policy aligned with the field awareness of frontline fire administration. The findings of this study can serve as an empirical foundation for future policy improvements, specifically by refining the mandatory AED installation—currently mandated for apartment complexes with 500 or more households under the Emergency Medical Service Act—into an elevator-linked placement model, introducing three-dimensional accessibility standards, and restructuring 119 dispatcher protocols.