The Inconvenient Truth: Most AEDs Only Work on Half of SCA Victims
Some manufacturers would have you believe that an automated external defibrillator (AED) is all you need when it comes to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Just place the electrode pads, deliver a shock and the victim will sit up and thank you for saving his life. If only it were so simple. But this is a myth. To understand the myth, you must understand what defibrillation is.
What Does Defibrillation Actually Do?
Many think defibrillation actually “restarts” the heart, but this is a fallacy. Defibrillation “stuns” the heart, briefly stopping the heart’s chaotic electrical activity that led to SCA. Once defibrillated, or stunned, if the heart is still viable, its normal pacemakers may then resume firing and produce an effective rhythm that may ultimately produce adequate blood flow.
Dispelling the Myth
Less than half of all SCA victims require defibrillation initially because they are experiencing heart rhythms that are not “shockable”; that is, defibrillation will not help these victims’ hearts beat normally again. The critical action is immediate CPR. Why?
- CPR provides a small but critical amount of blood to the heart and the brain.
- CPR is especially important if defibrillation isn’t delivered for four or more minutes after a collapse.
- Even after the heart is “stunned,” it still may not pump blood effectively in the first minutes after successful defibrillation. Therefore, CPR may be needed several minutes following defibrillation to help the heart along.
Some AEDs remind rescuers to do CPR, but no AED – other than ZOLL’s – helps rescuers perform both the correct rate and depth of chest compressions, critical for effective CPR.
ZOLL’s 2005 AHA Guidelines-Compliant AED Plus® and AED Pro® with Real CPR Help® technology are the only AEDs available today that allow rescuers to see and hear how well they are performing the rate and depth of chest compressions during CPR. Here’s how:
- If rescuers don’t start CPR immediately, ZOLL’s AEDs tell them again after 15 seconds to “Start CPR.”
- If they stop for longer than 10 seconds, ZOLL’s AEDs tell them to “Continue CPR.”
- If they are going too slow, the adaptive metronome beeps faster to speed them up.
- Most importantly, if rescuers are not pushing hard enough to get at least 11/2 inches deep with their chest compressions, ZOLL’s AEDs tell rescuers to “Push harder.”
- The bar gauge on the device’s display allows rescuers to see how well they are doing with each chest compression, which helps them provide the best CPR possible.
To learn more, contact ZOLL at 800-804-4356 or visit www.zoll.com/AEDPlusMythBuster for a virtual demonstration.
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