CPR & AED Education
To instil confidence, all Adopt-A-Defib AED packages include a short online ‘CPR & How to Use AED Video Training Guide’ Plus ‘a test your knowledge quiz’ with 10 True | False questions (answers provided).
Sudden Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack
Many people think that a Cardiac Arrest is the same as a Heart Attack but the two are very different!
A Heart Attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, and Sudden Cardiac Arrest is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly. A Heart Attack is a circulation, plumbing problem and Sudden Cardiac Arrest is an electrical problem.
A severe Heart Attack, where there is a significant blockage in the heart, can lead to a person going into Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
An AED looks to see if the person is in a shockable rhythm. The shock will momentarily stop the heart function in the hope it will kick back into a normal rhythm. If a person is not in a shockable rhythm, the device will not provide a shock. Automated External Defibrillators cannot be misused.
An AED provides voice instructions on how to operate it and includes (on some models) additional support for the rescuer including metronome to keep CPR rate, timer for 2-minute cycles of CPR and CPR feedback on the quality of the chest compressions.
An AED is to be used in conjunction with CPR and does not replace a person doing CPR. AEDs are fully mobile with their own battery and electrode pads. Both the battery and pads MUST be connected at all times for the device to be rescue ready. The device will advise you if there are any systems issues.
Across Australia each year, approximately 30,000 individuals experience an out of hospital Cardiac Arrest. Survival from out of hospital Cardiac Arrest is approximately 9%. Brain damage can start to occur within 4 minutes and with no CPR or defibrillation, there is little chance of surviving Cardiac Arrest.
Average response times of Paramedics in Metro areas is currently approximately 10 minutes.
An AED is lifesaving pure and simple. For the best chance of survival the casualty immediately needs to receive effective CPR and treatment with a Defibrillator.
CALL – Call Triple Zero (000) for an Ambulance
PUSH – Commence Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) immediately
SHOCK – Use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) if one is available
“We really are so vulnerable, so easily broken” Basic Life Support is not a magician’s trick. The clue is in the name: it’s as basic as it gets! You don’t need years of training and experience to save a life.
Everyone should learn how to resuscitate someone because Sudden Cardiac Arrest is one of Australia’s biggest killers and affects people of all ages at anytime and anywhere. It strikes suddenly and without warning and more than 80% of these deaths occur in an out of hospital setting.