Automated External Defibrillators
Does your facility have an AED onsite to assist with resuscitation? RESQ Health & Safety Training provides quality AED equipment, and through hands-on experience, we are able to find the right AED to suit the needs of your facility and staff for emergent situations. AEDs should be inspected and serviced on a regular basis. RESQ can assist with this safety compliance.
The American Heart Association does not endorse a specific brand of AED. RESQ Health & Safety Training will provide recommendations based on the needs of the facility. We provide leading brands such as Phillips, Laerdal and Zoll defibrillators. Call for more information and pricing (317) 786-7260. Custom packages are available.
NEW, NEW, NEW! From the American Heart Association
AED's and Infants?
The American Heart Association has determined that it is now safe to use AED's on Infants. The life saving AED that can be used on Adults and children can now help you during a crisis with an infant.
Which AED Pads to Use, Adult or Pediatric?
Have you ever lost your keys when running late, just to find them in the most obvious location. We all have. If you ever have to use an AED and find that there are no Pediatric Pads in the case, can you use Adult Pads on a Child? The Answer is YES.
The AHA has stated that in an emergency situation it is acceptable to use Adult Pads on Children. It is better to deliver life saving defibrilator therapy no matter the dosage than to not deliver any at all.
We here at RESQ Health and Safety Training are dedicated to making sure you are equipped with all the latest updates from the American Heart Association, so that you are Trained and Prepared during an emergency situation.
Is your organization designed to provide 3-minute response time in the event of sudden cardiac arrest?
Only 5% of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) victims survive where no AED programs have been implemented. If CPR begins immediately and the first shock is delivered within the first three minutes, chances of survival increase by 74%. The placement and maintenance of your AED(s) is imperative.
Determining AED Placement
Effective AED programs are planned to deliver shock within 3 to 5 minutes of collapse. Use a 3 minute response time to help determine how many AED units are needed and where to place the AED units.
When arranging AED placement, consider high-risk SCA incidnt areas such as fitness facilities, areas where a number of people gather or work closely together and hard to reach areas.
AED Placement Suggestions
Reception area
Cafeteria
Fitness facility
Close to elevators
Security guard station
Walls of main corridors
Areas where electric powered devices are used
Outdoor work sites, where lightning can occur
Remote worksites such as construction projects, power transmission lines and energy pipelines
AED Maintenance
Develop a checklist to assess the readiness of AED units and supplies while verifying the correct placement of all AED units.
Checklist Suggestions:
-Check battery installation and battery date
-Check status and service indicator lights
-Check exterior of the unit for any cracks and damage
-Check supplies--extra batteries, disposable gloves, electrode pads
Frequently Asked Questions About AEDs:
What is an AED?
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) may look like toys, but they can be used by lay people with only minimal training to revive people who are suffering a cardiac arrest. The AED is a small compact device, with only a couple of buttons and a pair of self-stick pads called electrodes. the electrodes are placed on the victims chest, and are use to deliver an electrical current to the victims heart.
When the electrodes are placed onto the victim, the AED defibrillator will analyze the victims heart, and determine if an electrical shock is indicated. If a shock is indicated, the AED will advise the user to deliver the shock by pressing the shock button.
As soon as the AED is activated, it will begin to give directions to the user. It does this by voice directions and text directions located on a screen on the AED. This is why the user can be confident that they are doing the procedure correctly. The sequence of the AED is so easy to use, the rescuer will feel confident they are doing everything correctly.
AEDs have been programmed to be able to accurately determine if the victim is indeed in cardiac arrest and needs to be defibrillated. they are virtually foolproof. Since it will not allow the user to deliver an unnecessary shock to the victim, the only thing the rescuer could do wrong is not follow the directions given by the AED.
By watching television, most people know what a defibrillator is. The difference is, instead of a doctor calling out sophisticated medical commands, that only medical professionals would understand, the AED does all of the work, and all the rescuer has to do is make sure no other people are touching the patient and press a button if needed.
By following the Cardiac Chain of Survival, we can expect increases in the survival rates of cardiac arrest victims.
Why should we use an AED?
Based on statistics from 1999, sudden cardiac death (SCD) kills at least 400,000 - 460,000 people each year. This staggering number is more than the total deaths from all forms of cancer combined. These are the numbers we are faced with when considering the effectiveness of early defibrillation in the pre-hospital setting.
People commonly use the terms "Heart Attack" and "Cardiac Arrest" synonymously. the reality is, these two disorders are quite different. A "Heart Attack" is related to a blockage of coronary vessels around the heart. This blockage leads to damage to the heart because of a lack of blood supply to the effected region. "Cardiac Arrest" is an electrical anomaly. For one reason or another, effective electrical conduction to the heart stops and if not treated rapidly, the victim will die.
In the past, CPR has been the treatment for SCD. The victim is administered oxygen while the chest wall is compressed, causing the heart to be compressed and forcing blood through the heart to deliver the oxygen. Whether or not blood is actually moved through the body, and oxygen is actually delivered to the heart is dependant upon the quality of CPR given. While this treatment is certainly better than none, it is usually not very effective, and the survival rate is less than 5%.
An AED is proven to be a much more effective form of treatment for SCD. Since the most common rhythm during SCD is Ventricular Fibrillation, a fluttering of the ventricles of the heart due to an unorganized electrical activity of the heart, CPR has very little effect and the victim eventually dies due to lack of oxygenation. If the rescuer had used an AED the outcome would possibly be much different.
Defibrillation with an AED has shown results that far outweigh the "Less than 5%" survival rate of CPR alone. As high as 90% of SCD victims respond to defibrillation, and upwards of 40% survive to go home. These results are based on studies involving victims the received defibrillation within 4 minutes of a SCD. Defibrillation is most effective when used as soon after an arrest as possible. The chance of success decreases by seven to ten percent for every minute of the SCD without defibrillation.
With these glaring differences, you can definitely see why having an AED with trained personnel nearby is so important. they are especially important to have in areas where people are concentrated in higher numbers, because the odds of someone having a SCD obviously increase with more population.
Why should AEDs be available for public use?
Public access defibrillation (PAD) programs were approved by the American Heart Association in 1995. It was based on the concept that having an AED available to the public for use on a victim suffering sudden cardiac death (SCD), would greatly increase the chances of survival for the victim. With very little or even no training, a person could effectively use an AED long before the arrival of a Paramedic or an EMT. This decrease in the time before an electrical shock is delivered to a victim of SCD would vastly change all known statistics of survival rates from SCD.
In an article published by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004, Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) studies showed that the use of an AED greatly improved the survival of victims of SCD. the results were based on a two year study of the outcome of victims of SCD who were given CPR alone verses victims that were treated with an AED. In programs with bystanders trained to call 9-1-1 and provide CPR without an AED, 15 out of 107 cardiac arrest victims survived to hospital discharge. In programs with lay rescuers trained and equipped to call 9-1-1 and deliver CPR plus use an AED, 30 of 128 cardiac arrest victims survived to hospital discharge. While these numbers may still seem to show a very low survival rate of SCD, they do prove that the chances of survival of SCD with an AED far surpasses those of just CPR alone.
PAD programs are based on the premise that having an AED in locations of highly concentrated populations of people can increase the survival rate of SCD. These programs are geared toward providing minimal training to lay rescuers that may have to intervene when a victim falls of SCD. This training may only consist of a basic First Aid course with AED, but it does give with this training the knowledge and confidence to use an AED when the need arises.
All of these figures and facts are pointless if facilities do not take advantage of the programs available. It is a proven fact that a SCD will eventually happen in an area where people concentrate regularly, but the victims survival is almost solely dependant on whether or not the facility has taken advantage of placing an AED within reasonable distance of the victim. remember, without an AED, the victim has a less than 5% chance of surviving, and that is only if a rescuer provide good effective CPR quickly.
Who should be trained to use an AED?
Anyone can learn to use an AED when given a few minutes to experiment with it. However, during an actual event, there is no time to experiment. Without even minimal training, the rescuer will surely be very unconfident and may even panic to the point of not trying.
Training is available through providers of The American Heart Association, The American Red Cross, and the National Safety Council. RESQ Health and Safety Training Inc. is certified to provide this training by The American Heart Association. in just 4 hours, a person can be trained to use an AED with confidence and effectiveness. these classes are designed to accommodate large numbers of people at the same time, and will greatly improve the odds of a victim of SCD in the vicinity of a trained rescuer.
Am I liable?
Good Samaritan laws have been passed in all fifty states that provide rescuers civil immunity in cases where they volunteer to help. This legislation also covers the use of AEDs and applies as long as the rescuer is not paid to perform rescue skills as part of his job. persons such as, Paramedics, EMTs, Nurses, Doctors, and so on, are not covered under the Good Samaritan Act.
The assumption under Good Samaritan protection is that the rescuer follows normal guidelines and applies them reasonably and prudently. In an emergency, rescuers are called upon to make many fast judgments. As long as those judgments are reasonable, no legal consequences will follow.
Good Samaritan laws differ from state to state. Some protect rescuers who use AEDs even if they never went through training while others require completion of a state or nationally recognized class. Other states not only protect the rescuer but also the physician who serves as medical director, the owner of the facility where the AED is located, and even the person or entity that provided training in AED and CPR skills. Since such variation exists, you should take the time to familiarize yourself with the statutes that apply to your state.
Where should an AED be placed?
AEDs should be placed in areas that present the higher than normal chances that a person may fall victim of SCD. these areas may include places where groups of people gather, places where it may take longer than 2 minutes for an Emergency Medical Unit to arrive, places that may have a higher than normal concentration of people that are high risk of SCD, and places where people are doing activities that may cause them to be at higher than normal risk of SCD.
The following facilities should consider placing AEDs and implementing public access defibrillation programs.
Schools
Universities
Places of Worship
Banks
Public Parks
Public Buildings
Convention Centers
Community Clubhouses
Supermarkets
Gymnasiums
Libraries
Bus/Train Stations
Airports
Museums
Hotels/Motels
Casinos
Ski Areas
Amusement Parks
Department Stores
Service Areas
Sports Stadiums
Restaurants
Shopping Malls
Fitness Centers
Office Buildings
Golf Courses
Factories
Swimming Pools
Police/Security Vehicles
Recreational Areas