AED Steps : How to use an AED ?

An emergency can arise out of nowhere. You may be having family fun in the park when all of a sudden grandpa clenches his chest and falls to the ground. If you are lucky, you took online first aid and CPR training so you know what to do, and immediately diagnose the problem and begin CPR. Here is a quick guide to using a CPR AED to shock someone back to life. But first, what does AED stand for? AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator that check the heart’s rhythm. 

It is important to know where you can find an AED. Usually, they are placed in convenient places so that you can access them in case of an emergency. It will help if there are multiple people with one who has done online first aid and CPR training or any other similar training. One person can begin CPR as another locates an AED. This is why it is essential to get an AED certification from a renowned institution. Did you know, the American HealthCare Academy also has an infant CPR course? 

The great thing about an AED is that it is made to provide audio instructions so that even a person who has never used one can follow the instructions. Open it up once you receive it. You might see an ‘on’ button or it may be the kind that turns on automatically once it is opened.

Positioning the AED Pads

You will see two pads with pictures of where they are to be positioned. Place the pads as you see in the illustration. One pad will be on the right side just above the nipple and another on the left just below the chest. Sometimes, there may be other variations on how to place the pads, so follow what you see in the picture on the pads.

Hands off the Victim

Once the pads are placed and connected, the AED should give you instructions to “clear.” This means to stop CPR and do not touch the victim. The machine needs to get a reading of only the victim’s heart activity. At this point, the AED will carry out an analysis.

Action

After the analysis, the machine will determine what the next action should be. If it finds there is no heartbeat, it will instruct you to initiate the shock by pressing the shock button. Some of these machines will just count down and do the shocking automatically. If however there is a heartbeat detected, it will let you know.

Continue CPR After AED Shock

After a shock, it is still important to continue CPR. The heart at this point may not yet be able to continue beating at a normal rhythm. Therefore, the AED will instruct you to carry out CPR for two minutes as it continues to monitor the victim’s rate. If more shocking is needed, the AED will let you know after the 2 minutes of CPR.

Although the AED can shock a victim’s heart back to action, it is still very important to know hands only  CPR. Before you have the machine, CPR is crucial, and even after shocking, you may still need to carry it out. If you do not know how to administer CPR, learn more today and opt for CPR and first aid classes today. The American Health Care Academy offers online CPR courses to train at a convenient time and location. You will also get a CPR certificate on completion of the course. 

If you’re wondering -“How long does a CPR certification lasts?” The answer is, to learn the steps of CPR, both adult CPR and infant CPR, you can get CPR certified near me which is valid for a period of two years.