Saving someone’s life with the use of an AED or automated external defibrillator is becoming more available in the public places in the Prince Edward Island. According to Chris Landry of Island First Aid Services, he wants the people in the island to know that these defibrillators are easy to use. Some citizens of the islands know how to provide first aid and CPR to other people and have already used the AED and have saved many lives.
Life-saving device
Waiting for emergency responders to provide first aid and CPR to a person in medical distress, there is a very good chance that it’s not going to happen that fast. People on the streets are using them, and that is why it saves the lives of people.
An AED delivers a shock and restarts the heart of the victim in cardiac arrest. The province announced their plans of installing defibrillators in all public schools in the island. The device is very automatic.
Furthermore, Landry said that if the machine is hook on a person who is not in cardiac arrest, the machine will not shock them. You can’t use this device by hurting anybody. The machine does all the thinking.
Using this device on a person in cardiac arrest, the first step is to check for signs of life. The chest of the victim is rising and falling when breathing and the skin is pale and sweaty when touched. The next step the user will do is hooking the pads up to the bare chest. Landry said the pad package includes a picture of where to place the pads and if you placed it wrong, the device is still effective.
When the victim is already hooked up, turn on the machine. The machine will begin to speak and give instructions on what to do throughout the process. Some machines provide step by step instructions on how to provide CPR and include a puck to press on. On devices with the puck, the machine determines whether your compressions are weak or strong enough.
The province expects that defibrillators will be installed in all public schools by the end of the month.
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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.wikihow.com/Do-Basic-First-Aid
https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/cardiopulmonary-resuscitation-cpr-treatment