Why do i need an aed

As a result, the heart can no longer pump blood through the body and the circulation stops. Without immediate countermeasures, this condition results in death after a few minutes. The nasty and insidious thing about sudden cardiac death is that it can strike completely unexpectedly. In both young and old people, those with pre-existing conditions, as well as the completely healthy. Unfortunately, there is no protection against sudden cardiac death as such. Oh yes, indeed you can. The affected person must receive immediate life-saving measures to ensure their survival.

They need cardiopulmonary resuscitation, assisted by an automated external defibrillator, or AED. It is of utmost importance as a preventive measure that as many people as possible are educated and trained in first aid measures.

In addition, an automated external defibrillator, an AED, should be available everywhere, if possible. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR can bridge the time until the ambulance or emergency physician arrives, if it is performed well. However, it cannot interrupt the ventricular fibrillation of the heart and thus cannot fight the actual causes.

Ventricular fibrillation can only be stopped with the help of a strong electrical impulse. This impulse — referred to as defibrillation — is administered by the AED. The affected person suddenly loses consciousness and collapses.

As a rule, we find the affected person in a lying position on the floor a without pulse and not breathing. They will not react to being spoken to or to pain stimuli. The top priority is to call emergency services as quickly as possible. In Germany, the ambulance and emergency physician are alerted by dialling What you need to report to the control centre are the emergency keywords 'sudden cardiac death' and 'unconscious person without a pulse'.

Promptly start with the life-saving immediate measures, such as those you learned during a first aid course or emergency training. This includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation through cardiac massage as well as rescue breathing, if you are confident enough to do so.

If an AED is available, it should be urgently used. Only the combination of efficient cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation using an AED can significantly increase the person's chances of survival. Studies have examined three different scenarios of how first aiders behave in the event of sudden cardiac death:.

Only after the first two have been completed should an AED be used. However, do not interrupt the measures under any circumstances to fetch an AED yourself. If you are alone, focus on CPR only. Always have another person bring the AED to you while you are performing immediate life-saving measures. The Heart Save series AEDs have been designed to be completely intuitive for a layperson to use without prior knowledge. After a brief self-test, the AEDs guide you safely through the operation of the device and complete cardiopulmonary resuscitation with brief and concise voice instructions.

Of course, you can — and should — request the assistance of trained medical professionals. At the Red Cross, you can choose the type of class for your schedule — and the way you learn best. In November , Reid saved the life of Jim Hammer after he collapsed at the recreation center where Reid worked. Now friends, they share their story.

Red Cross training matters For more than a century, we've prepared people to respond to emergencies of all sizes - from the everyday to the large disaster.

Join the millions we train every year and learn the skills that can save a life. Red Cross Digital Certificates give you anytime, anywhere access to your certificates; plus the ability to print, share, and download them wherever and whenever you like. Digital certificates can be viewed, printed or shared online and can be accessed anytime through your Red Cross Account.

Each certificate includes a unique ID and a QR code which meets employment requirements and allows employers to easily confirm your certificate is valid. Time is of the essence and if your local department is out on another call, it could take minutes to get service from another station.

People who work in an environment that causes more stress on the body are at higher risk of cardiac related issues. Working outside in high temperatures such as in Florida, physically demanding jobs such as construction, landscaping, maintenance, or utilities where there is a possibility of electrocution are at a higher risk. Having an AED nearby in a bucket truck, supervisor truck, construction trailer, etc.

Gyms, tennis courts, basketball courts, golf courses, and any type of sports complex from little league fields to soccer fields should have an AED.

Their heart rates accelerate and go into an unstable condition of tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation - often without warning.

There are many news stories of young athletes collapsing and dying when AEDs are not available. Since Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a leading cause of death, you want to be prepared in case there is an emergency. Taking a CPR class, having trained responders and having an AED is one of the best ways of being prepared in case that emergency happens.

You can be assured you did everything you could. When large groups of people are present, the odds of having someone with heart disease increases. Large venues such as churches, stadiums, schools, restaurants, hotels, theatres, shopping malls, and airports should have a good emergency response plan that includes defibrillators, and how to quickly respond to a medical emergency. Please call us or contact us and we will be happy to help you get started.

Need more? We may not like to admit it, but our population is aging. Every year about , people have their first heart attack or three every two minutes. In addition, , people go into sudden cardiac arrest, one every two minutes. In men the risk of heart attack increases significantly after the age of For women, heart attacks are more likely after menopause usually around There are fire extinguishers to protect in case of fire and they happen very infrequently.