Defibrillators

Studies show that when someone makes that potentially life-saving decision to purchase a defibrillator they hope that they will never have to use it. This buying decision is not just about compliance or indeed making your organisation look good they are about helping those around them as defibrillators really do save lives.

  • The only definitive treatment for victims of sudden cardiac arrest is effective CPR, performed on a ratio of 30 chest compressions to 2 rescue breaths and a shock from a defibrillator
  • Delivering treatment within 3-5 minutes after the victim has collapsed, increases their survival chance from 6% to 74%
  • Approximately, 80% of cardiac arrests occur at home.
  • Without immediate treatment, 90-95% of Sudden Cardiac Arrests are fatal
  • Around half of UK businesses have never considered purchasing a defibrillator
  • For every minute that passes without treatment, the chance of survival decreases by 10%

What is a defibrillator?

An Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) is a device that is used to deliver a high energy shock to the heart when someone suffers a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest? This is when the electrical activity in the heart malfunctions. The heart quivers and is not able to maintain its normal function so stopping the body’s organs from receiving oxygenated blood and the body begins to shut down. It is believed that the brain starts to lose cells after 3 to 4 minutes without oxygen. It does not discriminate on age, sex and ethnicity and can happen to anyone at any time. To give the patient the maximum chance of survival the Resuscitation Council advise that Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is started within 90 seconds and a shock delivered within 3 minutes. Is this the same as a Heart Attack? In a word No. People often use this phrase when in fact the heart is still working. The coronary arteries (the pipework) around the heart are either blocked or have been narrowed by such things as cholesterol. It can also be because of disease or lifestyle. The patient is usually conscious and is breathing. Rest assured that if nothing is done the result will be that the heart will go into SCA. Studies have shown that around one in three people think they have indigestion rather than having a heart attack. 80% didn’t seek medical help and thereby jeopardised their recovery. So the morale of the story is if you or someone is suffering from chest pain please get it checked out by a health care professional such as a Paramedic. They much prefer to talk to you and get feedback rather than it being left too late. When would you use an AED? When ever you would consider doing CPR due to someone who has collapsed and unresponsive and is not breathing or breathing abnormally then you can use a defibrillator. Once the electrodes (pads) are applied the AED will start to analyse the heart rhythm and if it detects that is it is in ventricular Fibrillation it will deliver a shock in an effort to restart the natural pacemaker of their body to take over and restore a normal sinus rhythm. If it doesn’t detect this, then it will not shock Do you have to be trained to use an AED? In simple terms no as the AED will talk you and show you what to do. However, part of the resuscitation process is integrating it with effective CPR and understanding the process better is well worth doing as it takes the mystic away if you have to do it in real life. The Resuscitation Council recommend 6-month refresher sessions to maintain the lay persons skill level.

OPERATION

What are the differences between machines? This is a personal choice based around where the AED is likely to be used. i.e. around a swimming pool then you would ensure that the IP rating is suitable for that use. There are several different machines on the market, but each follow the same algorithm. Voice Prompts All machines have voice prompts. They can be male or female, American or European. They are designed to talk the rescuer calmly through using the AED so as to deliver the life saving shock. There are machines that offer the facility to have the voice prompt in two languages. They start as soon as the machine is switched on by either lifting the lid or pushing the on/off button. Visual Prompts Some machines have additional visual prompts. These are extremely handy if working in a noisy environment, or for deaf people or non-native speakers to allow it to be used in an emergency What are Pads? There are two main types adult and Paediatric. The adult pads vary in design from square to oblong. All will have pictures showing where the pads should be applied on the body to help the rescuer. All rescuers need to do is follow the diagrams. As the pads need to be applied to the body they are very sticky however if there is a lot of body hair where the pads need to be attached you will need to dry shave the area with a razor from within the emergency kit otherwise they will not deliver a shock. Paediatric pads are smaller due to the body mass of the infant/child and the pad placement position is different and is on the front and back of the chest, that way eliminating, and chance of the pads being overlapped The pads are specific to each model and can’t be shared