In a perfect world everyone would know how to use an AED. It’s likely one sits somewhere in your world right now, at work, at the gym, or at a shopping centre, but have you ever wondered if you could use it in an emergency? If someone near you goes into sudden cardiac arrest, the ability to use an AED could be the difference between that person surviving or not. The device is designed for exactly this situation, built for bystanders with no medical background, and capable of talking you through every step in real time. What it cannot do is make up for hesitation, but that can change by learning how to use one.
What is an Automated External Defibrillator?
How to use an AED starts with knowing what they are. An automated external defibrillator is a portable, battery-powered medical device that analyses the heart’s electrical rhythm and delivers a shock to restore a normal heartbeat. It is the size of a small briefcase, and it is designed to be used by anyone, including people with no medical training.
Inside the case, you will find the AED unit itself and two adhesive electrode pads connected to the device by cables. These pads are applied to the person’s bare chest. Once connected, the AED reads the heart’s electrical activity and determines whether a shock is needed. If one is, the device will either tell you to press a button or, on some fully automatic models, deliver the shock without any action from you. The AED will not shock a heart that is beating normally or one that has stopped completely with no electrical activity.
When an AED Is Needed: Cardiac Arrest and Its Causes
An AED is designed for use when someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally. These are the signs of cardiac arrest, where the heart has stopped pumping blood, and they are what distinguish it from a heart attack, where the person is usually conscious and in pain. If someone shows these signs, the correct response is to use an AED as soon as one is available.
An AED is also the right tool in other emergencies where the heart has stopped, regardless of what triggered it. A person pulled unresponsive from water, someone who has collapsed after an electric shock, a lightning strike victim who is not breathing, or a person who has overdosed and lost consciousness may each need defibrillation. In these situations, make sure the danger is gone first, then apply the AED the same way you would in any other cardiac emergency.
How to Use an AED: The Step-by-Step Process
The goal of how to use an AED quickly is to deliver a shock as soon as possible after cardiac arrest. Before you begin, send someone to retrieve the nearest AED while you call triple zero (000) and start CPR. If you are alone, call 000 first, then collect the AED yourself before you perform CPR. The 000 operator can guide you through CPR until the AED arrives.
When the AED arrives, do not stop CPR until you are ready to apply the pads. Open the case, power on the device, and follow its voice and visual prompts throughout. The AED will tell you what to do at each stage.
Step 1: Expose the chest
Expose the person’s chest by removing or cutting away any clothing covering it. Also remove anything with metal near the chest area, including underwire bras, as metal can interfere with pad contact. Dry the person’s skin if it is wet.
Step 2: Apply the pads
Peel the backing from the electrode pads. Each pad has a diagram printed on it showing exactly where it goes. Place one pad on the upper right chest, below the collarbone, to the right of the breastbone. Place the second pad on the lower left side of the chest, below the left nipple and toward the side of the body. Press each pad firmly against the skin.
Step 3: Let the AED analyse the heart rhythm
Once the pads are in place, the AED will begin analysing the heart rhythm. Make sure nobody is touching the person while this happens as contact with the person can interfere with the reading. The device will prompt you to stand clear before it analyses.
Step 4: Deliver the shock if instructed
If the AED determines that a shock is needed, it will tell you to ensure nobody is touching the person and then instruct you to press the shock button. Check that you and everyone nearby are clear, then press the button firmly. On fully automatic models, the device will deliver the shock without requiring you to press anything.
Step 5: Resume CPR
Immediately after the shock, continue CPR. The AED will prompt you to continue chest compressions and rescue breaths. Keep going until the AED instructs you to stop for another analysis, until the person recovers, until emergency services arrive and take over, or until you are physically unable to continue.
Step 6: Hand over to Paramedics
Once emergency services arrive, tell the paramedics what happened, roughly when the person collapsed, and how many shocks the AED delivered. Leave the AED pads in place, the paramedics will remove them when they are ready.
Learn How to Use an AED With Hands-On CPR and First Aid Training
With their built in instructions and voice prompts, how to use an AED is easy in theory. In practice, it can be a different story. A real life emergency comes with added pressure that can throw you off, even with the direct guidance provided by an AED. Taking a CPR or a first aid course gives you the added benefit of hands-on practice, so that if you’re ever faced with a real life situation where someone’s heart stops beating and you need to use an automated external defibrillator you’re prepared with the muscle memory to use it. Don’t risk not knowing, everyone should know how to use an AED in case of an emergency, and all it takes is one simple training session to increase someone’s chance of survival.
FAQs
Can I Use an AED on Someone With a Pacemaker?
Yes. Place the pad at least 8 centimetres away from the pacemaker, which will look like a small firm lump under the skin near the collarbone or armpit. The AED will still read the heart’s rhythm and deliver a shock if one is needed.
Can I Use an AED on a Child?
Yes, for most children an AED can be used the same way as an adult. However, an AED should never be used on a child under the age of one year old by anyone other than a medical professional with the specific training to do so.
Are There Different Types of Defibrillators?
Public-access AEDs come in two types: semi-automatic, where the device analyses the rhythm and instructs you to press a button to deliver the shock, and fully automatic, where the shock is delivered without any action from you. There are also implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and wearable defibrillators but these are prescribed medical devices, not public-access tools.