There are over 7.4 million living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK. Twice the number of people who are living with cancer and Alzheimers. More than 27 percent of the deaths in the UK are caused by it, nearly around 170,000 deaths every year with an average of 460 every day. Having AEDs around can help save thousands of lives. That is why nowadays AEDs (automated external defibrillators) are everywhere in the UK, over 10,000 are used. You can see them in public areas such as parks, high streets, sporting events, schools, office buildings, and shopping malls in order to help those who experience sudden cardiac arrest.
What is AED?
AED defibrillator or Automated External Defibrillators is a device used to administer an electric shock through the chest wall to the heart. It’s a medical device that can analyze the heart’s rhythm and restores the heartbeat when it suddenly stops. It’s sophisticated, yet easy-to-use.
It was first distributed in 1899 by two physiologists from the University of Geneva, Switzerland namely Prevost and Batelli. They discover that small eclectic shock could induce ventricular fibrillation. In 1947, Claude Beck was the first person to use the external defibrillator on a human. In 1960, they introduced a portable AED defibrillator to use in ambulances. Today, defibrillators are the only proven way to resuscitate a person who has a cardiac arrest.
An automated external defibrillator is used in cases of life-threatening cardiac arrest the rhythms that the device treats are usually limited in two. Which is;
- Pulseless Ventricular tachycardia
A type of regular, fast heart that arises from the improper electrical activity in the ventricles of the heart.
- Ventricular fibrillation
An abnormal heart rhythm in which the ventricles of the heart quiver instead of pumping normally.
Steps On Using AED
- You should know if the patient is experiencing cardiac arrest.
- Then turn on the AED. This can be done by pressing an “On” button.
- Reveal the chest of the patient then apply the pads on their bare skin and use the diagram on each pad as a guide.
- If they are connected, connect the pads to the defibrillator.
- While the AED searches for a shockable rhythm in the patient you must backoff
- Follow all the AEDs instructions. When instructed to press the “Shock” button then press it, or allow it to shock automatically for automatic AED models.
- Perform CPR when the shock is complete or if the shock is not recommended until the arrival of emergency services or when the patient regains consciousness.
- The AED may gain promptness to stop CPR after 2 minutes of CPR to analyze potential results in additional shocks. Continue to follow the AED prompts, with 2 minutes of CPR between each analysis, until emergency services arrive.
These are the step to step instructions for using a defibrillator on a child.
- You should know if the patient is experiencing cardiac arrest.
- Then turn on the AED. This can be done by pressing an “On” button.
- Press the button of the child then insert the child key, if available, attach the pediatric pads.
- Take off the child’s shirt then apply one pad middle of the chest and one to the middle of the upper back.
- Move away from the patient.
- Follow the instructions by the AED and if prompted to do so only press the “Shock” button.
- Until help arrives or the patient regains consciousness, perform CPR chest compressions. Push the chest to ⅓ depth of the chest, no more than 2 inches.
Importance of Having AED
- They strengthen the chain of survival
- They can restore the normal heart rhythm to a person who has a sudden cardiac arrest.
- They can analyze the rhythm of the heart.
- Deliver an electrical shock or defibrillation to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.
Conclusion
The AED can affect the survival of many people not only someone in the hospital but also the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Components of AED programs that affect outcome include the operator, location, emergency response system, ongoing maintenance, and evaluation, and it is important to have Health insurance.
