Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) In Public Places: A Life-Saving Tool

AEDs are becoming increasingly ubiquitous. You can find them in offices, supermarkets and public areas.

So what is an AED?

First off – Let’s get to know what an AED is and why it is needed.

What is an AED? An AED (automated external defibrillator) is an electronic medical device that can examine a person’s heart rhythm during sudden cardiac arrest and determine whether it is necessary to deliver an electrical shock or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish a normal rhythm.

In most cases, sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) occur in adults; however, they can also occur in children and adolescents.

SCA happens when there is a failure of the heart’s electrical system, resulting in abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias that prevent the heart from pumping blood.

Why is it needed? The need for AEDs arises from how effective AEDs are at increasing the chances of survival – the rapid use of an AED, along with CPR can increase survival rate from SCA by up to 80%.

But how does an AED work?

Well, an AED is a computerized defibrillator that automatically analyzes the heart rate of a person who has suffered from a stoppage.

In the case an AED is needed, it will deliver an electric shock to the heart to restore its normal rhythm. We call this a defibrillation – when a ventricular arrhythmia is converted at a normal rate by electric shock.

As mentioned earlier, survival rate substantially increase  when an AED is used which otherwise decrease by 7 to 10 percent for every minute a victim remains in a state of arrhythmia.

How should an AED be used?

Using an AED is simple:

• Turn on the AED machine and follow the voice instructions.
• Place the two adhesive pads with sensors on the victim’s chest.
• These pads send information about the person’s heart rhythm to a processor located in the AED, it analyzes the rhythm to determine if an electric shock needs to be released.
• If defibrillation is necessary, the AED will give you voice instructions and tell you when to press the button that releases the electric shock.

When you purchase an AED you will be pleasantly surprised they are designed to be used practically and easily by anybody, regardless of training (although training in its use is recommended).

This is why there is AED training is combined with CPR classes. These classes can teach you how to recognize signs of sudden cardiac arrest, when you need to call emergency medical services, how you’re going to perform CPR, and finally how you can use an AED.

Using an AED does not cause damage as electric shocks are automatically adjusted so that the heart regains its normal rhythm without causing burns or side effects.

Have you seen an AED somewhere public?

Many public places, have AED readily accessible. You can find them in places like offices, parks, shopping malls, supermarkets, churches, schools, gyms and airports.

The installation of AED is necessary in places where there is a higher concentration of people. One in a thousand people die of sudden death or myocardial infarction. It is important to emphasize that 50% of people who die from acute myocardial infarction happens before the patient enters a care center, and in large part this occurs anywhere public.

Where can I Get an AED?

You can purchase an AED from any authorize distributor in the US, including us, American AED. We carry AED packages and offer expert recommendation on which AED model to get based on what environment it will be used on.

For more information you can contact American AED (link to contact page – https://americanaed.com/contact-american-aed/) and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.