AED Frequently Asked Questions

What does AED Stand for?  

Automated External Defibrillator

Why should we place an AED at our facilities?

Early defibrillation with an on-site AED can be the difference between life and death. The time to the first defibrillation shock is the most critical factor in determining survival rates for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). With every minute that goes by, survival rates decrease by about 10%. That leaves a window of ten minutes in which to potentially save your life or the life of someone you know, after which survival rates average less than 2%. The best results for defibrillation occur in the first three minutes, measured from the moment the victim collapses to when the defibrillation shock is delivered. On average, it takes EMS teams in the U.S. an average of 6 to 12 minutes to arrive. That's why having an AED readily accessible wherever groups of people gather makes good preventive sense.

Who Can Use an AED?
Anyone, even children 11 years of age and up can be trained to use an AED.

How does an AED work?  An AED is an electronic devise, usually portable, that analyzes and treats cardiac arrest by reestablishing a regular heart rhythm.  It applies an electric shock to your heart muscle, allowing the rhythm of the heart to resynchronize.

An AED is called external because the operator applies the electrode pads to the bare chest of the victim.

Once the pads are attached to the victims chest, the AED analyzes the heart rhythm and determines if a shock is needed to treat fibrillation. If the device decides that a shock is necessary, it will charge and prepare to deliver the shock. When charged, the device tells  the user to ensure no one is in physical contact with the victim and then to press the “shock” button. After the shock is delivered, the device begins to monitor the heart rhythm again,  to determine if another shock is necessary.

Is Calling 9-1-1 Enough?

Emergency medical service ( EMS ) professionals and firefighters save many SCA victims each year, but a lack of equipment and time delays keep them from saving many more. Unfortunately, not every emergency vehicle carries a defibrillator, the only device that can treat sudden cardiac arrest. In some large metropolitan areas, an ambulance may not even get to the scene in less than 10 minutes due to traffic. And, on average, it takes EMS teams in the U.S. 6-12 minutes to arrive. So, even if an EMS team does have a defibrillator, the response time may not be fast enough to save a victim's life.

Survival rates are highest for patients who receive a defibrillation shock within three minutes of collapse. This almost requires that an AED be on-site anywhere groups of people gather and that trained responders are available.

Remember, 90-95 percent of all SCA victims die. Documented AED programs have shown that survival rates can rise to 70 percent or more when an AED program is in place.

Waiting for medical professionals when someone is in sudden cardiac arrest could delay treatment - and could cost the person his or her life.

Does the AED Take the Place of CPR?
No. The AED is part of CPR. For maximum benefits (that is, best chance of survival) you must use the two tools together!

How Safe are AEDs? Can I accidentally shock someone? Using an AED is virtually fool proof because it analyzes the patient’s heart rhythm and will not allow a shock to be delivered unless it is safe to do so.  The AED is so safe, that it can be used effectively by anybody with only a small amount of training.

What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Who Can it Happen to? 
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), also known as ventricular fibrillation (VF), is an electrical malfunction of the heart. With VF, the regular, systematic pumping action of the heart’s chambers stops because the normal electrical signal that runs through the heart in a prescribed sequence has been interrupted for some reason. Electrical chaos ensues, and results in uncontrolled, non-productive quivering of the heart chambers.
There are many causes – congenital defects, illness, heart attack, environmental conditions, even physical contact! A hard blow to the chest can knock a healthy youngster or a well-conditioned athlete, into cardiac arrest. Dehydration or heat exertion can do the same. Did you know that most drowning victims go into cardiac arrest as well? The bottom line is that anyone, at any age, can become a victim of sudden cardiac arrest!

Who can have a SCA?
Anyone, anytime. Children can have SCAs, teenagers can have SCAs, athletes can have SCAs, old people can have SCAs. Although the risk of SCA increases with age and in people with heart problems, a large percentage of the victims are people with no known risk factors.

Where do cardiac arrests occur? Everywhere!

Work, School, the Grocery Store, Church, Restaurants…etc.

Who maintains the AED machine? The AEDs offered under this program are self monitoring.

AED/CPR/CARDIAC ARREST STATS 

In the past year, over 200,000 Americans died of sudden cardiac arrest: approximately one death every two minutes. 

The average survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest is about 5 percent.  Utilizing an AED increases the survival rate to more than 40 percent.  For every minute that treatment is delayed, the chances for survival decrease by 10 percent. 

What is my Liability?

Almost every state includes the "good faith" use of an AED by any person under the Good Samaritan Laws. "Good faith" protection under a Good Samaritan law allows that a first responder cannot be held liable for any harm or death of a victim by providing improper care. This is given that the harm or death was not intentional.

What search terms brought you to our site?

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