FAQ

What does AED stand for?

Answer: AED stands for automated external defibrillator (or automated external defibrillation).

Answer: An AED is a device used to administer an electric shock through the chest wall to the heart. Built-in computers assess the patient's heart rhythm, judge whether defibrillation is needed, and then administer the shock. Audible and/or visual prompts guide the user through the process.

Answer: A microprocessor inside the defibrillator interprets (analyzes) the patient’s heart rhythm through adhesive electrodes (some AED models require you to press an ANALYZE button). The computer analyzes the heart rhythm and advises the operator whether a shock is needed. AEDs advise a shock only to ventricular fibrillation and fast ventricular tachycardia. The electric current is delivered through the patient's chest wall through adhesive electrode pads.

Answer: AEDs are important because they strengthen the Chain of Survival. They can restore a normal heart rhythm in patients of sudden cardiac arrest. New, portable AEDs enable more people to respond to a medical emergency that requires defibrillation. When a person suffers a sudden cardiac arrest, their chance of survival decreases by 10% for each minute that passes without defibrillation. AEDs save lives!

Answer: The AED doesn't treat any disease. Its purpose is to reset a heart that has stopped beating effectively, usually caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF). The AED is applied to the victim of sudden cardiac arrest, a condition where the heart unexpectedly and abruptly quits beating. This could also be caused by a lightning strike, electrocution, hypothermia, kidney failure or physical injury (trauma).

Answer: Most AEDs are designed to be used by non-medical personnel such as police, firefighters, flight attendants, security guards, and other lay rescuers who have been properly trained. Having more people in the community who can respond to a medical emergency by providing defibrillation will greatly increase sudden cardiac arrest survival rates.

Answer: When a heart attack becomes a full cardiac arrest, the heart most often goes into uncoordinated electrical activity called fibrillation. The heart twitches ineffectively and can't pump blood. The AED delivers electric current to the heart muscle, momentarily stunning the heart, stopping all activity. This gives the heart an opportunity to resume beating effectively.

Answer: The AED only treats a heart in ventricular fibrillation (VF), or ventricular tachycardia (VT). In cardiac arrest without VF or VT, the heart doesn't respond to electric currents but needs medications. The patient needs breathing support. AEDs are less successful when the patient has been in cardiac arrest for more than a few minutes, especially if no CPR was provided. Some hearts are too damaged, stopped or cannot be reset by an AED. However, without a defibrillator, all people whose hearts have stopped beating effectively will die.

Answer: A patient who has no pulse cannot be hurt and might be saved. A trained operator who uses the AED correctly cannot be hurt. It is very important to make sure no one is touching the patient. A serious injury to an AED operator has never been reported.

Answer: Any perceived increased liability for your organization is more than offset by the fact that soon there will be the expectation that these devices are readily available everywhere with trained personnel available to operate them.

A certified AED Provider who attempts to assist a patient at your facility is extensively trained to only place the AED unit on a person suspected of suffering a sudden cardiac arrest; the patient is unconscious, not breathing and has no pulse. The use of the AED in this case cannot harm the patient, as he or she is ‘already dead’.

In the case of a staff member who, despite the training, inadvertently places the AED unit on a person who has a pulse and is breathing, the AED unit automatically locks out so there is NO possibility of an accidental defibrillation. The AED unit senses an organized electrical rhythm from the patient and will not provide a shock. This system has been extensively tested in thousands of cases without a single recorded case of accidental shock.

To date there are no current or pending lawsuits involving AED technology and its misuse in North America. This includes Florida and California, which have the highest medical litigation rates in North America. There are lawsuits, however, citing organizations that experienced a cardiac arrest on their site and did not have an AED available (United Airlines, Busch Gardens).