What is the difference of sudden cardiac arrest from a heart attack?
Sudden cardiac arrest
The heart stops beating which is a result of an electrical problem in the heart that causes the victim to pass out. This may be caused by various reasons and may happen to even young and healthy athletic people.
Heart attack
The blood supply to the heart is weakened or blocked that results in damaged heart muscles which then causes symptoms. During a heart attack, the patient is conscious but is having mild to severe symptoms. A heart attack can also lead to cardiac arrest.
What is defibrillation?
Giving an electric shock to the heart that will reset the heart’s electrical system and allow its normal rhythm to return.
What is an automated external defibrillator?
An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) defibrillates the heart. It will first analyse the heart rhythm of the victim, then it will give a shock if it detects the need for it.
How do I know if I need to use an AED?
Use the AED if the person is unconscious and is:
- Having no pulse or heartbeat
- Gasping for breath
- Having seizures
If you are in doubt, just use the AED and it will make sure if the patient needs a shock or not because as mentioned in the previous question, the AED such as the Philips AED will first analyse the patient’s heart rhythm and it will only give a shock if really needed.
Can I or the patient get hurt?
Using the Philips AED to a victim is extremely safe for the victim. However, there can be mild injuries to the victim and the responders if:
Can hurt the patient
- If there’s a metallic material on the body (e.g. jewelleries, bra underwires, etc.) which can conduct electricity and burn the patient’s skin.
- If clothing is not removed which can cause mild burns as well.
Can hurt the responder
- If you are on a direct contact with wet surface (e.g. snow, near the swimming pool, puddles, etc.) that can electrocute the people around the victim.
- If you are touching the patient when shock is delivered – to avoid this, follow the voice prompt of the Philips AED because it will tell the user to move away from the patient.
Do AEDs fail?
Some AEDs might not work effectively due to the device’s condition or some avoidable factors. However, the Philips AED are designed so it is always ready to save a life and boasts of a staggering 8 years warranty. It conducts its 80 different daily self-test to ensure that it is always ready for use. It checks the pads, battery, and circuitry daily, monthly and weekly. Moreover, the Philips AED also has a SmartLink monitoring system that allows owners to get real-time updates about the status of their AED which eliminates the manual checking and also provides notable benefits. Meaning, if your AED pads and battery are regularly replaced, the chance of failure is very rare.
Can I use the AED on infants?
Yes. For Philips AED, infants or child less than 55 pounds or 25kg can be treated.
Do I need a training?
Philips AEDs are designed so anyone – even with no training – can use it when an emergency arrives. It has calm voice prompts that will tell the responder the step-by-step procedures on how to apply the AED up to CPR coaching.
However, being well informed and trained on how to use the AED together with CPR will always be strongly recommended. Moreover, training will allow responders to feel calm and acquainted to emergency situations hence, improving emergency response.
As the sole distributor of Philips AED, ARASCA provides a free Philips AED training and consultation. Email us at [email protected] and our team will be happy assist you.
https://www.philips.ae/healthcare/about/customer-support/aed