On Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 3:17:01 PM UTC-5, Dave Platt wrote:
In article ,
wrote:
My intention is to purchase a package through the Red Cross that includes CPR training, AED training and the unit itself.
A good combination - get yourself and your people trained on the
actual model you'll be buying, if at all possible.
One issue our instructor pointed out: some AED models will
automatically activate when you open them. You don't necessarily want
that, if it happens prematurely - it might delay your ability to
(re)start the diagnostic cycle when you actually get the pads onto the
patient.
Our instructor recommended that when we send somebody to the AED
cabinet, we say "Get the AED. Don't open it, don't try to turn it on.
Just bring it back here immediately."
May not be relevant to all AED models, of course.
That is news to me. Since there is no way for the machine to know when/if the pads are in place, they usually prompt the user to hit the analyze button. Unless CPR is halted during this analysis period, the machine will not react properly. The machine "looks" at the trace you usually see on TV in hospital scenes. On a standard EKG machine, this is known as lead 2. This lead is used to see the rate and rhythm of the heart beat. With a typical EKG monitor, there are 5 wires connected to the body which provide this trace as well as others. If further detailed analysis is needed, additional leads are attached (5 more totaling 10) which provide what is called a 12-lead tracing. This allows for a varied view of the electrical activity of the heart that can be read to determine whether or not there are problems (such as a heart attack).
The bottom line here is that ALL AEDs work the same way and have slight variations. Follow the audio prompts. Get familiar with the ones that are local to you if you can. But, rest assured, they will be similar enough that any of them can be used with confidence.
Dan