Premergency First Aid, CPR and AED Manual

Cardiovascular Emergencies, CPR and AED

5

Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of AEDs by public safety first responders are recommended to increase survival rates for out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest. An AED is an electronic device that is able to analyze and provide an electric shock to (defibrillate) a patient who is in cardiac arrest. It has an internal computer chip that analyzes heart rhythms, and then a voice prompts you to use the machine.

It is also backed up with easy to read and follow printed instructions and pictures on the machine itself. Only certain types of heart attacks can be defibrillated, so the ability of the AED to analyze the patient’s heart properly is very important. If you or another person are touching the patient while the AED is analyzing the patient, then it may provide a false reading. A false reading can result in the AED not recognizing a shockable rhythm and the patient going without this potentially life saving measure.

Survival Rate after Sudden Cardiac Arrest

10% per minute

look for this AED sign/symbol in public places

% Survival

Time in Minutes

157

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