Using an AED on children is one of the moments where bystanders hesitate the longest, and that hesitation is the single biggest factor in whether the child survives. The device looks adult-sized, the voice prompts sound clinical, and the child looks small. Using an AED on a child might be scary, but when they experience cardiac arrest, your bravery and action can drastically increase their chance of survival.
How AEDs and Defibrillation Work in Basic Life Support
An automated external defibrillator reads a person’s heart rhythm through electrode pads stuck to their chest, then decides whether an electric shock will help. If the heart has stopped in a non-shockable rhythm, the AED will not shock the person and will instead prompt the rescuer to continue with CPR.
Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation keeps oxygen moving until a defibrillator arrives. Successful defibrillation returns the heart to a normal heart rhythm, and the survival rate climbs sharply when an AED is used within the first three to five minutes of collapse.
When It's Safe to Use an Automated External Defibrillator on Children or Infants
A first aid responder should not apply an AED to an infant under one year old unless instructed to by a Triple Zero (000) operator. An AED is built and tested for adult-sized bodies, and the shock energy can injure an infant’s heart. The only safe way to apply an AED to a baby is to use a paediatric AED or switch the pads on a regular AED to infant-sized paediatric pads, however both of these require professional training only provided to paramedics and doctors.
Your response should be limited to infant CPR. Instead of using your whole hands, perform chest compressions with two fingers on the centre of their chest, and instead of full rescue breaths only deliver two gentle puffs of air with your mouth covering the child’s nose and mouth at once.
Learn to Use an AED on Children and Keep Your Paediatric First Aid and CPR Skills Current
Using an AED on children saves lives. The same training that gives a responder the steps for an adult collapse also gives them the size-specific adjustments for paediatric and infant patients, which is why nationally recognised CPR training prepares you to respond to any cardiac arrest you encounter, child or adult, with the speed that survival depends on. Your decision to step in within those first few minutes is what turns a child’s collapse into a save.
FAQs
What's The Difference Between a Heart Attack and Sudden Cardiac Arrest?
A heart attack is a circulation problem where blocked blood flow damages heart muscle, and the person is usually awake and in pain. Sudden cardiac arrest is an electrical problem where the heart stops pumping, and the person collapses and stops breathing within seconds. An AED is the treatment for cardiac arrest, while a heart attack requires hospital intervention to clear the blockage.
Can Children Use AEDs?
Children as young as 9 can be taught to AED use in supervised CPR training. The device’s voice prompts are written at a reading level any literate child can follow, and a trained child can talk an adult through the steps if no other adult is available to use an AED on children.
Does the AED Need to Be Removed Before CPR Resumes?
AED pads stay on the person’s chest throughout, including during compressions and rescue breaths so that they don’t need to be put back on before the rescuer starts another cycle of CPR.