An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a device the size of a laptop that is used for medical emergencies, specifically cardiac arrest or when the heart stops beating. Sometimes, when a victim is in cardiac arrest, their heart start experiencing an irregular quivering caused by chaotic electrical activity in the heart cells.
This quivering is called ventricular fibrillation or V Fib for short. V Fib is treated by shocking the heart with controlled electric shock. This works because the heart muscle contains electrical cells. The AED is used to shock the heart that is in V Fib to a normal heart rhythm.
Studies show that if an AED is used within 3-5 minutes of cardiac arrest, the victim's chance of survival increases by approximately 70%. So you want to use the AED as soon as it becomes available.
Using the AED:
Once you get the AED at the vicitm's side -
1: Turn on the AED. Do this by wither pressing the on/off button or lifting the lid of the unit.
2: Follow the prompts exactly as directed. The device will instruct you to place the electrode pads on the bare skin of the victim. One of the pads are to be placed on the right upper chest of the victim, while the second pad is to be placed just under the left chest.
3: Once the pads are placed on the bare chese of the victim, you may be required to insert the pad connector to the AED. Some AEDs already have the pads preconnected to them.
4: Next you must make sure that no one (including yourself) is touching the victim. The machine will prompt that it is "analyzing." During the analysis, all CPR efforts must be paused in order for the AED to evaluate if the victim's heart is experiencing V Fib and can therefore be treated with a shock. This is one of the 2 time you must "clear" the victim of all bystander contact.
5: If the AED prompts that a shock is indicated, then you must "clear" the victim a second time ensuring that you or no bystanders are not in contact with the victim. If someone is touching the victim while the AED is delivering the shock, the bystander can experience a shock as well which can even render them unconscious. Once you see that victim is "clear," you must then press the "shock" button to deliver a shock. Fully automated AEDs will deliver the shock automatically.
6: Immediately after administering the shock, the defibrillator will instruct you to resume CPR. You must not remove the pads or turn off the unit at this time. Simply leave the pads on the victim's chest, leave the AED on and resume CPR beginning with chest compressions.
Some of the new AED models have the CPR coaching feature which guides the rescuer in the CPR process.
AEDs are very simple to use as long as the instructions are followed completely. The information in this article does not substitute a CPR/AED course in which training is performed in its entirety. This information is provided solely as a reference to supplement CPR/AED training.
