Your Ultimate Guide to Using AED and Performing CPR

It is now public knowledge that the use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) during an emergency can make all the difference between life and death. If a victim suffers cardiac arrest using an AED near you can help save the victim’s life. That is why it becomes necessary to enroll in the best CPR AED certification course online. Even though there is no legal obligation to use the machines the more easily you can access the machines higher the chances of saving someone’s life.

The devices are mostly used in heart-related medical emergencies. In such situations, an AED device is used to restore the normal heart rhythm. Understanding how the device works are helpful and may increase the chances of survival. In the best CPR AED certification class, you will learn that when an individual has a cardiac arrest their heartbeat becomes unsynchronized which renders them unconscious. An AED machine will check the rhythm of the individual and give necessary instructions on how to return the heartbeat back to normal.

If you see someone having a cardiac arrest, the first step is to call for emergency responders as they are already well trained in BLS for healthcare providers. Ask another person to get you an AED device in a nearby location.  Get the device and place the pads on the patient’s chest. It will monitor the individual’s heart rate and determine if it is unsynchronized. It will then give out proper instruction on whether and how to administer a shock to the individual’s heart. The device will then analyze the heart again for and determine the next course of action. In the meantime tell someone to ensure emergency personnel is on their way.

How the Shock Waves from AED Works?

The device checks the patient’s heartbeat and if it is not normal it will inform you through voice prompts that the machine is being charged up.   Once it is ready it will give you instructions to stay clear of the patient then press the button once you are ready. If you press the button an electromagnetic charge is administered directly to the patient’s heart returning his/her heartbeat back to normal. The electromagnetic charge is delivered from the machine through the wires to the pads. In other words, the device uses enough electric current to restart the heart.

Working Mechanism of the Pads

Every AED machine comes with a pair of pads. The parts are on a visible location and are quite easy to attach. All you are required to do is to get the pads out of the case, remove the stickers and place them on the patient’s upper body according to the pictorial instructions. Each sticker has its set of instructions on where to place them. Once they are in the proper position their main function is to act as electric conductors and heart sensors.

Each pad is fitted with electrodes or sensors which are also used to monitor the heartbeat of the patient. They then relay the information back to the device to calculate the necessary amount of electric current to return back the heart to its regular rhythm. That is why it is necessary to place the pads in the right position. Their specific location is essential in sending the shock on the right spot on the heart.

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