Automated External Defibrillator Singapore

Research has shown that the health data compiled and reported from more than 190 countries shows that heart disease remains the No 1 global cause of death with an estimate of 17.3 million deaths every year since 2015.  Statistics have shown that the average survival rate of cardiac arrest is around 10%. Nearly one in three survived.

In most countries, Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) have been installed in public places including corporate and government offices, shopping centres, airports, hotels, casinos, sports stadiums, schools, fitness centres, health clubs, movie theatres, mall, condo, community centres and many other locations. Why is it so? Time is of the essence and it is critical to increasing the survival rates of cardiac arrest victims. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere and at any age. An AED is the only effective treatment for restoring a regular heart rhythm during the sudden cardiac arrest.

AEDs enable any layperson to operate easily.  It is used by the first person at the scene of a cardiac arrest and is designed for a minimally-trained rescuer.  The AED provides exact instructions in a simple clear voice to the rescuer of what to do one step at a time. They are easy to understand and use in a cardiac emergency when every second count.

They are built with the same advanced defibrillation technology used by emergency medical services and hospital personnel.

Purpose of Automated External Defibrillator (AED)

In a life-threatening situation, AED is important because it strengthens the Chain of Survival. It can restore a normal heart rhythm in the victim of sudden cardiac arrest. Where a person encounters a sudden cardiac arrest where CPR alone is not enough to rescue life, the highly recommended method is by using automatic external defibrillation (AED) device where it increases the casualty’s chances of survival. It is user-friendly, easy to operate medical device designed for untrained individuals with no medical background.

Functions of the Automated External Defibrillator (AED)

• is a computerized medical device used to analyze the casualty’s heartbeat rhythm
• it gives an electric shock to the casualty when the heartbeat has stopped beating
• it is able to restart and restore normal rhythm of the heartbeat
• It is safe to use in all weather condition. If the victim is lying in the water, move him or her to a relatively dry area before using the AED. In wet weather, be sure to wipe the victim’s chest dry before placing the electrode pads.

Automated External Defibrillator cannot be used if the casualty is:

• alert or has the pulse and/or breathing
• should avoid placing an AED pad over a patient with a pacemaker
• the infant who is less than a year old
• dead

Types of Automated Emergency Defibrillator (AED)

There are two common types of AEDs that are available:

• semi-automatic
• fully automatic

The main functions of the semi-automatic models are:

Step 1  to assess the person in sudden cardiac arrest

Step 2  open the device

Step 3  place the electrodes.

Step 4  analyses the rhythm of the heart

Step 5  push the button manually that provides a shock to the heart.

The main function of the automatic models is:

The fully automatic AED requires only the first two steps of the semi-automatic AED and the device will automatically do the rest.

General maintenance for both Automatic and Semi-automatic AEDs

Battery shelf life                  –  Replacement of Lithium Battery between 4 to 5 years

Disposable pads shelf life   –  Replacement of pads (recommend) between 18 to 30 months