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What Does AED Stand For?

The AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is a small device used for resuscitating people who have no heart rhythm. They are small and easy to use, and have been installed in schools, airports and other public settings in an attempt to expand the number of life-saving defibrillation opportunities in places where people commonly experience a heart attack.

  1. Automated

    • The "A" in AED stands for automated, due to its automated nature of checking for heart rhythm, instructing the operator when to deliver the shock and delivering the shock.

    External

    • The first successful defibrillation was used in open-chested patients (open-heart surgeries); modern AEDs are used on closed-chested patients. The pads are placed on the patient's chest and side, external to the heart.

    Defibrillator

    • AEDs are defibrillators for use on people with abnormal heart rhythms (fibrillations). The AED will check for these abnormal or absent heart rhythms before advising shock, then will perform the defibrillation shock to the patient once the appropriate action is taken by the AED operator.

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