Automated external defibrillators are commonly used by emergency medical response team. This is used when a person’s heart has stopped beating. This is a portable machine that produces a shock that could help the heart function again. Ambulances and other emergency vehicles are equipped with AED. There are many misconceptions about automated external defibrillators. These misconceptions could sometimes be the hindrance of saving a person’s life. These are the following hindrances that everyone should know and learn from:
Automated external defibrillators are complicated to use.
- This is one of the biggest misconceptions about AED’s. AED’s are very easy to use, the instructions are not hard and these kinds of equipment can highly determine if a shock is needed by the person. This equipment can guide the user in using the equipment and placing the pads in the right spot. Saving the person’s life would be more successful if another person is giving chest compression while another is applying the pads. As long as both are doing the job correctly, the person’s life will be saved.
Automated external defibrillators are rendered useless after applying two minutes of CPR.
- It is never late to use automated external defibrillators even after two minutes of CPR. As long as the CPR given is correct, in counting and rhythm, AED’s are never useless. It is highly advisable that until the automated external defibrillators constant chest compression or CPR should be applied when the person has no pulse and not yet breathing.
The chest should/must be dry for the automated external defibrillators to work perfectly.
- True, it should be dry. However, stating that it would not work if the chest is wet is completely false. The chest needs to be dry before applying the pads because giving a shock on wet surface would be quite harmful to the person. However, drying the chest should never be the cause of delay in case the AED is suggesting that a shock should be given.
AED’s should only be used by medical professionals or healthcare experts.
- Completely wrong, you do not need to be a healthcare professional or a medical expert in order to use an automated external defibrillator. As long as you know how to listen and follow simple instructions then you can easily use an automated external defibrillator. Many of the healthcare experts who have used this equipment have stated that it is easy to use because it is straight forward making it easy to use by the general public.
Home AED’s cannot save a person’s life.
- Statistics have shown that more than 75% of deaths have occurred at home. So having an automated external defibrillator really makes sense. Most people do not see the importance of an automated external defibrillator at home because they fear they might harm their love ones instead of giving them first aid. An AED unit can basically save a person’s life, it can practically help the person whose stopped breathing and has no pulse or a person who have just experienced cardiac arrest.
