AED

The AED or Automated External Defibrillator is the single most important advancement in saving victims of sudden cardiac arrest. Immediate CPR by a witness and defibrillation within 3-5 minutes gives the victim the best chance of survival. An AED will only work on victims with a shockable rhythm such as ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia. When one of these pulseless rhythms are detected, the AED will provide an electrical shock intended to stop all heart activity and allow the heart to resume it’s normal function on it’s own. It’s important to note that an AED stops the heart, it does not jump start it. This is why it is important to attach an AED and shock the victim quickly. If the victim is not shocked within the first 5 minutes then the chance of survival will go down 50%.