Automated External Defibrillators (AED)

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Medical Author:

Joseph Sciammarella, MD, FACP, FACEP

Joseph Sciammarella, MD, FACP, FACEP

Dr. Sciammarella graduated from American University of the Caribbean in June, 1985. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Emergency Medicine and has practiced Emergency Medicine for 19 years.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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• Automated External Defibrillators (AED) Introduction
• Chain of Survival
• Defibrillation
• Automated External Defibrillators
• Public Access Defibrillators
• How to Operate an Automated External Defibrillator
• Automated External Defibrillator Use in Children
• The Future of Defibrillation
• Multimedia: Part 1
• Multimedia: Part 2
• Multimedia: Part 3
• Synonyms and Keywords
• References
• Authors and Editors

Heart disease is the number 1 killer in the United States. Every day, more than 2600 Americans die from cardiovascular disease, which amounts to 1 death every 33 seconds.

Most of these deaths occur with little or no warning, from a syndrome called sudden cardiac arrest. The most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest is a disturbance in the heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation.

Ventricular fibrillation is dangerous because it cuts off blood supply to the brain and other vital organs.

• The ventricles are the chambers that pump blood out of the heart and into the blood vessels. This blood supplies oxygen and other nutrients to organs, cells, and other structures.
• If these structures do not receive enough blood, they start to shut down, or fail.
• If blood flow is not restored immediately, permanent brain damage or death is the result.

Ventricular fibrillation often can be treated successfully by applying an electric shock to the chest with a procedure called defibrillation.

• In coronary care units, most people who experience ventricular fibrillation survive, because defibrillation is performed almost immediately.
• The situation is just the opposite when cardiac arrest occurs outside a hospital setting. Unless defibrillation can be performed within the first few minutes after the onset of ventricular fibrillation, the chances for reviving the person (resuscitation) are very poor.
• For every minute that goes by that a person remains in ventricular fibrillation and defibrillation is not provided, the chances of resuscitation drop by almost 10 percent. After 10 minutes, the chances of resuscitating a victim of cardiac arrest are near zero.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, usually known as CPR, provides temporary artificial breathing and circulation.

• It can deliver a limited amount of blood and oxygen to the brain until a defibrillator becomes available.
• However, defibrillation is the only effective way to resuscitate a victim of ventricular fibrillation.