Automated External Defibrillators – Frequently Asked Questions
When I deliver training on AEDs I always anticipate that the group will have lots of questions. I thought it would be useful to put a blog together of my AEDs – FAQs.
Do you have to have training?
I’m often asked if you have to have training to use one. The Resuscitation Council (UK) say that if you can recognise the machine as an AED then if there is no-one else present who has received training then to use it.
However, I train a lot of health professionals and I encourage them to have AED training as part of their mandatory update. Although the AED will talk to you and guide you as to what to do I find that it’s the opportunity to have a go and to ask questions that is most valuable. This helps with familiarisation which is most useful when you come to use a defibrillator in an emergency.
What do they do?
When someone suffers a cardiac arrest their heart has stopped beating properly. The AED analyses the heart rhythm and ‘looks’ for ventricular fibrillation (VF) or very fast ventricular tachycardia (VT). If one of these rhythms is detected then the AED will charge so that a shock can be delivered.
The shock is designed to stop the heart so that the natural pacemaker in the heart can take over.
Do I have to press the button?
Some AEDs are fully automatic, this means that they will deliver a warning that a shock will be delivered in “3…2….1….Shock Delivered” and you therefore don’t need to press the button. Some are semi automatic, this means they will charge and then ask you to “deliver shock now – press the flashing button now” pressing the button will deliver the shock.
There’s no paddles?
All AEDs are ‘hands-free’. In fact the vast majority of defibrillators are ‘hands-free’. This is to improve safety for all concerned as you can see the area around the victim more easily.
Will they jump?
On the television people always jump when they are defibrillated. I’ve seen one person that I’ve defibrillated jump significantly and this was because of the speed with which we rescued him. You may see muscles contract, similar but in a stronger way to the machines designed to flatten your stomach.
Does the machine know if it’s worked?
The machine analyses heart rhythms it does not know if the person has a pulse or not. It is down to the rescuers to decide if the person is in a cardiac arrest. This is because there are 2 other heart rhythms that can result in someone being in a cardiac arrest that do not require shocking. These are asystole – where the heart has completely stopped and pulseless electrical activity (PEA) in this rhythm the monitor shows an organised rhythm which could produce a pulse but the person is in a cardiac arrest. Neither of these rhythms require shocking. The AED is looking for VF or VT, if it doesn’t detect VF or VT then it will instruct “no shock advised – continue CPR”. You then continue CPR for 2 minutes which the AED will time.
If you’ve given a shock the machine will instruct you to restart CPR. It will then time 2 minutes, during this time you do CPR. At the end of the 2 minutes it will ask you to stand clear again and re-analyse the heart rhythm, again looking for VF or very fast VT. If it’s detected again it will again charge so that another shock can be delivered and the process is repeated.
If the AED detects an organised rhythm it won’t shock and it is this that makes them safe to have in public places, as they don’t shock unless they detect VF or VT.
Do we use the AED or do CPR?
If you have someone who can do CPR then keep that going whilst attaching the defibrillator. If you are the only rescuer available but have an AED close to hand then use that without delay.
How do you get into the locked box where it’s kept?
If there is a public access defibrillator in the vicinity when you phone 999 the emergency services will tell you how to access it.
Does it work?
The Resuscitation Council produced a report on the use of public access defibrillators and showed an initial survival rate of 40% and survival to discharge from hospital as 20%. I appreciate that this may not seem great but defibrillation saves lives, whereas CPR is intended as a holding mechanism until the AED arrives.
I hope that these figures will improve as we have more defibrillators available.
If you have any other questions please post them below and I’ll answer them and add them in.
Do you need AED training?
If you would like to discuss having AED training please contact us.
You may also like:-
Do you have to have a defibrillator in the practice?
1 million pounds for defibrillators in public places and schools
Public Access Defibrillators – what are they and how to use one
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