Life-saving inspections on Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are a life saving tool for medical emergencies involving sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) during a heart attack. When the heart stops beating, defibrillation within 1-3 minutes can shock it into restarting and improve the likelihood of survival by over 75% when combined with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). [1] According to a 2012 study, about 1 in 4 AED failures are caused by battery or power issues; and, based on feedback from our colleagues and customers at Tap Report, we’ve found that about 1 in 3 inspectors forget to check the expiry dates of their AED electrode pads and battery. [2] [3] With this in mind, it’s critical that AEDs are inspected regularly and their parts are replaced as required. Here are a few of our guidelines for AED inspections: Pay close attention to the status indicator on the front or top of the unit. The status shown is indicative of the last self-test on the AED’s internal circuitry, which should have been done within
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