What is an AED

What is an AED?

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a defibrillator especially developed for lay-person rescuer (so also for non-medical personnel). The AED is of small and compact design and it's use is extremely easy..

Nowadays the so called public access defibrillators - PADs are or should soon be installed in many places such as airports, sport arenas, companies, railway stations, shopping centers, banks, public buildings, etc. Further they are useful in doctor's surgeries, ambulances, urbanisations and private households.

In Spain there are about 24.500 people dying each year by sudden cardiac arrest which means one person every 20 minutes. In 80 percent of these cases the ventricular fibrillation was the cause of the sudden cardiac arrest and in these cases an AED can save lifes if it is available within the first minutes.

In the chain of survival the use of an AED with the early defibrillation comes at the same moment or directly after calling the ambulance (112) and the start of the life saving cardio pulmonary reanimation (CPR).

The first responder switches the AED on and follows its' voice prompts. Pictograms support the use. After applying the electrodes on the patients chest the AED automatically starts with an analysis the cardiac activity and only in case of a shockable rythm (e.g. ventricular fibrillation) the possibility of applying an electrical shock for "resetting the heart" is given.

Now the user pushes a button and shocks the patient.

An unintended or mailcious application of a shock is not possible with an AED.

After the start of the ventricular fibrillation the chance of survival decreases by 7%-10% per minute. Quick action with and a high distribution of AEDs is important.

In general anyone could use an AED since they are designed for lay person rescuer.

The effective use requieres knowledge in Basic Life Support (BLS) tecniques. Further the use of the AED is regulated in Spani in a different way in each state.

Cardioprotec offers you the right courses for the use of an AED and different AED-models to buy or lease.