An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a device that checks a person’s heart and delivers an electric shock if it has stopped beating normally. If a person suddenly collapses, they may be suffering from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and SCA is serious. It means that the person’s heart has stopped pumping blood and they need help fast.
The most important element in the treatment of SCA is to provide a rapid shock to their heart called defibrillation. An automated external defibrillator (AED) helps ordinary people to provide defibrillation quickly.
When you observe someone suffering from a suspected SCA, you need to act quickly. Philips AEDs come equipped with integrated SMART Pads. Just place the SMART Pads on the person’s bare skin and the pads will provide feedback to the AED so calm, step-by-step voice instructions can guide you through the entire process of using the AED.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. If this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. SCA usually causes death if it's not treated within minutes by an AED.
SCA is not the same as a heart attack. A heart attack occurs if blood flow to part of the heart muscle is blocked. During a heart attack, the heart usually doesn't suddenly stop beating. SCA, however, may happen after or during recovery from a heart attack.
You don't need to remember this distinctions as when the Philips AED instructs you to put the pads on the victim, it will sense the heart rhythm and determine the best steps to take, giving you guidance all along the way.
With more than two-million AEDs sold around the world, Philips AEDs can be found on board major U.S. airlines, in Fortune 100 companies, and in the locker rooms of professional sports teams. Learn more about why ordinary people choose Philips AEDs.
Designed for the ordinary person in the extraordinary moment, HeartStart AEDs are ready to act and ready to go. It allows anyone with little to no training to treat the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest.
General information
References
1. Eftestol, T., Sunde, K., & Steen, P. A. (2002). Effects of interrupting precordial compressions on the calculated probability of defibrillation success during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Circulation, 105(19), 2270-2273. Retrived from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12010909 on August 20, 2018.
2. Yu, T., Weil, M. H., Tang, W., Sun, S., Klouche, K., Povoas, H., & Bisera, J. (2002). Adverse outcomes of interrupted precordial compression during automated defibrillation. Circulation, 106(3), 368-372.
3. Snyder, D., & Morgan, C. (2004). Wide variation in cardiopulmonary resuscitation interruption intervals among commercially available automated external defibrillators may affect survival despite high defibrillation efficacy. Critical care medicine, 32(9 Suppl), S421-S424. Retrieved from from https://journals.lww.com/ccmjournal/Abstract/2004/09001/Wide_variation_in_cardiopulmonary_resuscitation.16.aspx
4. Edelson, D. P., Abella, B. S., Kramer-Johansen, J., Wik, L., Myklebust, H., Barry, A. M., . . . Becker, L. B. (2006). Effects of compression depth and pre-shock pauses predict defibrillation failure during cardiac arrest. Resuscitation, 71(2), 137-145. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2006.04.008
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