Why YSK: TV has lied to you. If a cardiac arrest happens and you have an AED defibrillator at hand you might still need to do chest compressions.
- When you open up the AED there will be instructions on how to apply the electrodes as well as any other procedure needed to get started.
- The machine will first analyze the heart’s rhythm to find out if a shock can restore the heart.
- If the machine doesn’t find anything it will instruct you to perform CPR. After a while it will then instruct you to stand by as it does another analysis.
- It will once again either deliver a shock or instruct you to go back to CPR. Do this routine indefinitely until medical services has arrived. You will be tired. Switch out with another person if there are other people who can help.
- Some AED’s are automatic and will warn you to stand back and deliver a shock. Others will need you to press a button to deliver the shock yourself. Make sure not to touch the person as the machine delivers the shock.
It’s concerning how there is no AED/CPR training in school considering everyone is likely to run into a situation where a family member will need resuscitation while waiting for an ambulance. Not knowing when and how to do cpr, how to use a defibrillator (portable ones give audio instructions) etc is so dangerous because by the time an ambulance gets there it may be too late. Also I wish AED were more readily available and easily located. May even be a good idea to pitch in with neighbors and make a locked box that’s easily accessible.
Here, in the Netherlands, we have a network of civilian first responders, with people that will be alarmed by the 112 (for you Americans: that’s the European version of 911) call center when a CPR request is near them. Also, we have a practical full cover over the country of AEDs. We have one against our front wall, accessible for everyone. In 1.5 years of time, I got two times a call that I was able to respond to, but our emergency services were already present when I arrived (by bike) on the location.
Average Netherlander :D
In School here in Germany, what this post outlines is exactly what was told to us, by actual paramedics.
They even had a dummy AED for demonstration purposes. It spoke out the instructions like a real one would and we were all supposed to practice putting the electrodes in the right places on a dummy human.
It was funny I was playing ghostwire Tokyo and didn’t remember all the aed around Japan when I was there but the game showed them all over the place (at the time I didn’t know what they were). It’s sad I have yet to see one outside of ammedical facility in the US.