AED Defibrillator Protocols

Facts About AED Defibrillator Protocols
Author: AEDrx.com

AED protocol is established by organizations for successful implementation of AED programs. It should be in tune with the standards of standards of the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross Such protocols can be established with the help of your medical director. Focus areas on an AED protocol are the use and care of Automatic External Defibrillators suggestions and warnings, procedures to use AED, medical guidelines, AED maintenance process, and reporting procedures. You can contact Cardiac Science for further information and assistance in developing AED protocols. This article discusses some important AED protocols that must be followed.

· The United States Food and Drug Administration and some US states require that a physician should supervise automatic external defibrillator programs. Trained and certified people should only perform AED emergency response drill.

· Another AED protocol requires that the defibrillator must not be used for a victim of under 1 year of age. It should not be used to defibrillate a patient who has pulse. For the victims of sudden cardiac arrest who are over 8 years of age, the responsiveness of the victim needs to be checked and then the responder needs to call 911 for emergency responders.

· The next thing which the responder is required to do is to get an AED if it is around, and start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) right away. Knowing how to perform CPR is essential as only half of the patients of sudden cardiac arrest actually require defibrillation.

· Certain steps need to be followed for adult CPR, such as ensuring if the scene is safe, taking care if the victim is lying on a flat surface and that he is not lying face down. The responder then needs to find out if the victim is breathing normally or else CPR is required.

· For using AED, the rescuer is required to turn on the AED and follow the voice prompts. The next step is to attach pads, and care must be taken that pads meant for a child are not used on adult and vice versa. The correct placement of pads is also essential and the rescuer can easily know how to place the pads exactly by seeing the picture on the packaging.

· While delivering shock, it is responsibility of the responder to make sure that nobody is touching the patient including the responder himself as the electric shock may be potentially fatal. If the AED indicates that no shock is required, then the rescuer is required to perform CPR only. The responder is required to follow the same steps in case the victim is a child except he should remember to attach the pads meant for child and not an adult.

· There are also certain special situations which will require the responder to change the way of using an AED. For instance, AED pads may stick to hair if the patient has a hairy chest. In that case, the AED will neither be able to check the heart rhythm of the patient nor deliver a shock. In such a situation, the rescuer will need to press down firmly and if the AED still does not work properly, then shaving the area where pads are to be placed will help.

· A rescuer should never deliver shock to a victim who is lying in water as the energy will not go to the heart and even the rescuer might get an electric shock. The appropriate procedure to follow in such a situation is to shift the victim away to a dry place and wipe his chest before attaching the pads.

It is important to follow the AED protocols to ensure that no harm comes to the patient of sudden cardiac arrest before the arrival of emergency medical services. In a nutshell, basic steps of AED Protocol are: safety checking and clearing the area, checking responsiveness of the patient, calling 911 and requesting EMS, checking for breathing, giving 2 slow breaths in case of abnormal or no breathing, checking for pulse, turning on the AED in case there is no pulse, attaching the AED electrode pads, ensuring no one is touching the victim, analyzing the heart rhythm and if pressing the "Shock" button is advised.

AED Defibrillator Protocols, san diego aeds

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