A defibrillator or an automatic external defibrillator is already available in public buildings in Prince Edward Island. According to Chris Landry of the First Aid Services of the Island, he wants all people on the island to know how to use the defibrillator.
Easy access to defibrillators
Some people on the island have been using the defibrillator and have saved lives. Anybody suffering from cardiac arrest and waiting for emergency responders to provide first aid or CPR, there is a good chance that these emergency responders can’t arrive on time to provide first aid or CPR to the victim.
Bystanders on the streets are using them and that is what is saving the life of people.
Landry assured the people that the defibrillator is truly automatic. The AED can deliver a shock that restarts the heart of a person in cardiac arrest. The province plans to install the defibrillator in all public schools on the island.
If the defibrillator is attached to a person who is not in cardiac arrest, the machine will not shock them. It can’t hurt anybody with this. The machine does all the thinking, according to Landry.
The first step in using the defibrillator is checking for signs of life. Check if the chest is rising and falling with the breathing of the person. The victim is pale and sweaty when touched. Hook the victim to the machine. If not sure, again, the machine will not give a shock to a person who does not need it.
According to Landry, the important thing that the user has to do is to hook the pads up to the bare chest of the patient. The pad package includes instructions and a picture of where to put the pads. Even if the pads are placed in the wrong area, the device is still effective.
Once the victim is already hooked on the machine, turn the machine on. The machine will start to speak and guide the person throughout the process. Some machine will provide steps on how to perform the CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It also includes a puck to press on. Machines that include a puck, it will determine whether the compressions are strong enough.
The defibrillators will be installed in all schools in the province.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a CPR and AED course and for more information, check out these sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/first-aid/cpr