FAQs >> AEDs(Automatic External Defibrillators)

What is an AED and when is it needed?

Each Year in the United States alone, an estimated 250,000 victims die from SCA - nearly 1,000 people each day - often because lifesaving defibrillation does not reach these victims in time. Each minute of delay decreases a victim's chance of survival by 10%. After only 10 minutes, more than 90% of SCA victims will die if they have not been defibrillated. Our defibrillators guide the user through the defibrillation process with verbal instructions. Defibrillation pads are placed on the victim's bare chest to determine the heart rhythm and whether a shock is needed, which is done by pressing one button on the device.

Defibrillators are easy to use, reliable, easy to maintain, portable, durable and low in cost. The few minutes saved by employees who use an AED before outside emergency medical services (EMS) arrive can mean the difference between life and death for a victim of SCA.

Does sudden cardiac arrest really happen in the workplace?

Yes, sudden cardiac arrest can strike virtually anyone, man, or woman, young or old -- anywhere, anytime, and often without warning. Many factors in the workplace can increase the risk of SCA or limit the timely delivery of lifesaving defibrillation therapy:

• An aging work force, particularly in industrial companies.
• Work-sites with high voltage equipment and/or chemicals.
• Large numbers of employees located under one roof.
• Urban locations, which may be difficult for emergency responders to reach due to the need to negotiate traffic, staircases, elevators, escalators or crowds of people.
• Industrial campuses that may have tight security controls or spread out facilities. Relatively remote facilites

If sudden cardiac arrest does at occur at work, isn't it 9-1-1's responsibility?

Saving lives is a shared responsibility. Corporate sponsored in-house emergency response programs should complement, not replace, the existing 9-1-1 structure. Working in partnership with EMS, companies can help keep a victim alive for EMS personnel to treat when they arrive. Targeted company employees are in a unique position to minimize time-to-defibrillation. Workplace AED's can be strategically placed within facilities, similar to the convenience of fire extinguishers, so that targeted responders have immediate access to this lifesaving equipment.

Who in our company would use the AED and are they complicated to operate?

AED's require minimal training, even for responders who know nothing more than CPR. In fact, it is easier to learn how to use an AED than to learn CPR. Safety officers, on-site physicians and nurses, security guards, office and industrial workers - anyone who is in a position to rapidly respond to a medical emergency can be selected and trained to operate an AED. SOS Technologies provides comprehensive training solutions to assist companies with implementing AED programs.

Ok, it is easy to use, but it is time consuming to maintain?

Our AED devices are designed to maintain themselves in a state of readiness for up to one year with virtually no maintenance. These devices operate on long life disposable batteries that are highly reliable and are a fraction of the size and weight of ordinary rechargeable batteries. Once the battery is inserted, the devices perform a comprehensive self test and continue to perform these self tests on a daily basis.

As with a fire extinguisher, a visual status indicator allows responders to immediately see whether the device is ready for use. When a fresh battery is required the device emits both a visual and an audible signal. Additionally SOS Technologies offers service and maintenance programs to insure your AED equipment is ready and available whenever it may be needed

Aren't AED's expensive?

Not really when you consider what is at stake. The high cost of early AED's, with prices ranging between $5,000 and $10,000 once posed a significant barrier to widespread deployment. Technological advances in defibrillator design circuitry and battery technology have reduced the cost of AED devices. Today the equipment we offer is smaller, more reliable and lighter than anything previously on the market, and usually costs less that $4,000 per unit.

Is there an increased risk of liability for using AED?

All organizations must evaluate the relative risks and benefits when considering the implementation of any program that affects employee welfare. According to the American Heart Association, to date, no known judgment has been rendered against the operator of and AED for negligent or improper use of AED's. According to a recent article on AED's and legal liability published by Air and Space Lawyer (a publication of the American Bar Association) "liability claims associated with the negligent operation of AED's are mitigated by the difficulty in establishing that the operator proximately caused harm to the victim... The AED operator is attempting to resuscitate an individual who, absent the AED, will likely remain dead."

By contrast, several recent cases indicate that corporations may face liability for failing to have an AED available to treat a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. For example, in June 1996, a Florida jury found Busch Gardens negligent for not properly training its employees to provide emergency care - and for failing to have essential medical equipment, including a defibrillator, on the premises. The plaintiff was awarded $500,000.00 in damages for the death of her teenage daughter at the amusement park. Earlier this year a lawsuit was filed against United Airlines by the widow of a passenger who died from sudden cardiac arrest, which alleges that the on-board medical equipment was not adequate to treat her husband. A defibrillator was not on board.

For further information see our page on Good Samaritan laws in Illinois.

What about the use an AED with a child?

For information on the use of AED's with minors please see the following Philip's brochures:

FAQ's on the use of AED's on children.

FR/2 Infant/Child attenuated defibrillator pads