Small Device Saves Lives

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) can be used by anyone in an emergency

Do you fancy yourself as someone capable of responding to a person suffering from cardiac arrest? If not, you are not alone. Very few of us have had any professional training in such things.

Even basic first aid training is something that most of us have never done. And yet, new technology makes it possible for anyone to save the life of a cardiac arrest victim without any formal training.

The secret is in a machine known as the automated external defibrillator (AED). This small, lifesaving device can be used by anyone capable of opening its case and reading basic instructions. The fact that the device is automated means it requires very little input from its human user.

CARDIAC ARRESTS

Sudden cardiac arrest, a condition characterised by the sudden stopping of the heart, is the third leading cause of death in industrialised nations.

The deadly nature of sudden cardiac arrest is due to the fact that a stopped heart requires some sort of electrical charge to restart. CPR rarely works to restart a stopped heart. Rather, it only serves to manually force the heart to pump for as long as it is applied. The heart needs a jolt of electricity – whether internal or external – to start beating again.

A defibrillator provides that jolt of electricity. The amount of current

delivered by an AED is enough to restart the heart but not so much as to damage the heart muscle. That makes it the perfect tool for saving a life that could otherwise be taken by cardiac arrest.

CARDIAC ARRESTS DIFFER FROM HEART ATTACKS

It is important to point out that cardiac arrest is not the same thing as a heart attack. Cardiac arrest is a condition in which the heart stops beating. As you might imagine, every second that cardiac arrest continues increases the chance of serious injury or death.

A heart attack is different in a couple of ways. First, a heart attack is clinically defined as a loss of blood flow to the heart due to arterial blockage. Without sufficient blood, heart tissue begins to die. A heart attack can eventually lead to cardiac arrest if it is not treated quickly enough. However, it doesn’t have to. It is entirely possible to have a mild heart attack and never experience cardiac arrest.

Why is this important to know? Because learning to recognise the signs of a heart attack could help prevent cardiac arrest. And recognising the symptoms may be enough motivation to locate an AED, just in case it is needed.

EARLY INTERVENTION

Standard defibrillators and AEDs have both become more commonplace across public buildings since it was discovered how effective they are at saving lives.

For the record, survival rates among cardiac arrest victims fall by as much as ten per cent with every minute that passes without defibrillation. Successful defibrillation within the first minute or so gives a cardiac arrest patient the highest chances of survival without injury.

SIMPLE TO USE

AEDs are one of the simplest of all medical devices to use. You just have to be able to read instructions and place a couple of electrodes on the skin using adhesive patches.

Your typical AED comes in a plastic case. To use it, you open the plastic case and read the instructions printed on the inside. There should be diagrams or illustrations included in those instructions. You then place the electrodes in the right locations by peeling adhesive strips and pressing the electrode to the skin. Then you turn the device on and let it do its thing.

Because an AED is automated, it does not require your assistance once it is up and running. It automatically monitors the patient’s heartbeat. If no heartbeat is detected, it delivers a controlled electrical shock before resuming monitoring. This cycle continues until the paramedics arrive.