Automated External Defibrillator…Selecting Your AED!
Written by admin
Considerations in Selecting an AED: Article #1
There is only one thing worse then not having an
Automated External Defibrillator (also known as AED)
at the scene of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and that is
having an Automated External Defibrillator or AED that
does not work!
The point is, NOT all Automated External Defibrillators
are created equal.
As you begin your quest to learn more about
Automated External Defibrillators use plain old
“common sense” in your selection process.
Much of what you will need to learn to make
an informed life saving decision will be based
on asking a few simple questions.
If you would like a copy of;
“Questions Too Ask Before Your AED Purchase”
Email: info@OperationDefibrillator.com
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Side note:
Operation Defibrillator does NOT recommend, sell
or endorse any specific Automated External Defibrillator.
The primary mission of Operation Defibrillator is to educate,
inform and support the efforts of those interested in the
deployment of Automated External Defibrillators for
the express purpose of saving lives from Sudden
Cardiac Arrest.
First things first;
Every Automated External Defibrillator or AED that
you evaluate must be measured against
the following four criteria. They are in the
following order of importance.
1. How dependable is the specific Automated
External Defibrillator?
2. How easy is the specific Automated External
Defibrillator to use?
3. How effective is the technology the AED utilizes?
4. What is the cost VS value ratio of the AED?
We will explore each of the above issues in detail.
COMPONENTS OF EVERY AED’s
Before we can begin the discussion of Dependability,
Ease of Use, Technology and Cost. We must first
understand an AED at the component level.
Every AED on the market is composed of three
critical components. Those components are;
1. Battery or Batteries
2. Pads (also referred to as electrodes)
3. Internal circuitry/software.
How each of the three critical components functions
at the scene of the rescue will in large part dictate
how successful the rescue outcome will be. If for example
the Automated External Defibrillator or AED fails
because of a dead battery (batteries), expired pads,
malfunctioning capacitors etc. the outcome could
be catastrophic.
To get your free copy of:
“Questions Too Ask Before Your AED Purchase”
Email: info@OperationDefibrillator.com
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These types of failures can happen to any
manufacturer however some brands are predisposed
to higher failure rates because of the limitations in
their design.
You will discover, it is the lack of comprehensive
automatic daily self-testing of each of the three
critical components that most often leads to
AED failure.
The FDA maintains a MAUDE database whereby
event history and AED failures are archived.
You can visit the MAUDE database at:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfMAUDE/search.cfm
Once there you will find a series of “fill in the box” windows
that you type in or select from the drop down windows.
The boxes will appear as displayed in the table below.
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Product Problem: Leave empty Product Class: Leave Empty Brand Name: Type in the Model you are researching NOT the Manufacturer’s name. Manufacturer: Type in the Manufacturers name. Event Type: Select “Death” from the drop down window. Date Report Make sure you select a date such as 01/01/2000 and reset it each time. Received: Once form is completed click “simple search” Link to FDA website: http://tinyurl.com/5ovvrz |
Approved AED Manufacturers
Presently there are seven approved AED manufacturers approved by the FDA for resale in the USA.
They are listed in alphabetical order.
Cardiac Science www.CardiacScience.com
Defibtech www.Defibtech.com
Heartsine www.HeartSine.com
Medtronic: www.Medtronic.com
Philips www.Philips.com
Welsh Allyn www.WelshAllyn.com
Zoll www.Zoll.com
To get your free copy of:
“Questions Too Ask Before Your AED Purchase”
Email: info@OperationDefibrillator.com
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the market those AEDs are typically a private label
of one of the aforementioned manufacturers.
This discussion will NOT focus on the inherent
short comings of any specific manufacturer, nor
will it highlight the strengths of another.
The sole intent of this series is to serve as
a resource to inform the reader that there are
vast differences in Automated External Defibrillators
on the market and an informed consumer is more
likely to make a more appropriate lifesaving choice
after considering all the evidence and full scope of
material.
EVALUATING AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS
DEPENDABILITY MUST COME FIRST
The single most important element that you will want to
educate yourself on with regard to selecting an AED
is “Dependability”. This is often overlooked simply because
the assumption is that “all AEDs are dependable“.
As previously mentioned, there is only one thing worse
then not having and AED when it is needed and that is
having one that does not work properly.
As previously state above, it is a common misconception that;
”all automated external defibrillators or AEDs are equally reliable”!
This mistaken perception has proven to be a very deadly one.
Once again, the FDA maintains a Maude database website
documenting event history across all manufacturers.
One need only invest a short period of time to quickly
learn that all devices are not created equal. Some AEDs
are better at saving lives then others.
An analogy might be:
It is easy to comprehend that a Volvo is perhaps safer
than a Yugo at the scene of a car accident. It is
because we accept and understand this safety
consideration that we are often willing to invest
more financial resources in the safer automobile.
Conversely, many mistakenly believe that all
Automated External Defibrillators are equal
and therefore will often make a lifesaving decision
based on price rather than dependability, quality
and performance.
While price is an important and valid consideration
during the evaluation process, it should not be the
most important determining factor if giving the rescuer
the best possible chance of saving a life is the primary goal.
AED AUTOMATIC SELF-TESTING
The method by which Automated External Defibrillators
manufacturers can insure rescue ready dependability
once the AED is in field service is by having the AED perform
regular, automatic and intense self-tests of the three
critical components.
I highlight the word “automatic” to underscore the
importance that these tests SHOULD occur automatically and should NOT require an individual to manually perform them.
It is recommended that these tests are performed
automatically, preferably on a daily basis. Most devices
offer a certain level of self-testing however many require
the user to manually perform what is defined as a
USER INITIATED test(s).
(Many devices also do not perform all the needed and necessary
automatic self-tests required to insure rescue ready reliability.)
The fact that the USER must physically conduct the test
allows for the possibility that the safety tests may be
FORGOTTEN completely at worst or not done at the
frequency recommended by the manufacturer at best.
Human error has proven to be a very deadly consequence
across many industries and AED management is no exception.
For that reason this warning is issued:
Purchasing any AED that does not automatically
test the three critical components on a daily basis
is NOT advised.
If the user initiated test is not performed, essentially the only
time the device is tested is at the scene of a rescue.
Maximally testing a lifesaving device at the scene of a
rescue is not the optimal time to learn if the critical
system components are operating as they should.
Once again;
automatically test ALL critical components of the
device on a daily basis should be avoided if “reliability
is of primary concern.
ü Does the AED Defibrillator perform AUTOMATIC self-testing
of all critical components?
ü Does the AED check for Battery presence as well
as capacity?
ü Does the AED check for Pad presence as well as Pad
functionality?
ü Does the AED check for Comprehensive testing of the
internal circuitry and software?
ü Does the AED require you to EVER perform
USER INITIATED testing?
We will explore in great detail self-testing as it relates to each of the three critical components in subsequent articles.
To get your free copy of:
“Questions Too Ask Before Your AED Purchase”
Email: info@OperationDefibrillator.com
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THE CRITICAL QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU BUY:
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Written by adminWelcome to Operation Defibrillator
Written by adminWhat you will find here is the latest and most complete source of information on AEDs. Whether you are looking for Vendor Resources on where to buy, Grant information, Legislation, Deployment Protocols, Articles or Resource links you will find it here.
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Sincerely
Doug