When I took my CPR and defibrillator class, the defibrillator box actually talked to us and walked us through each step.

 

Yes, they all do. Worse case, a 911 operator can talk you through any of it, but the class will at least break any stigma or fears of becoming involved. Heck, even the beginning "make sure the scene is safe" portion can save your own skin if you come across a victim.

 

best thing - socially it is more capable of being used than CPR, folks seem to love the technology and non fail system. gawsh, we just LOVE being told what to do....

give me a 12 lead any day(sarcasm)....or one of those remote jump starters....

amazingly simple. kept asking the paramedic "that's it? really?"

about the same response as the Viet nam guys had to the M-16 by Mattel....

awesome thread!good coffee to you!

 

I like it! Takes some of the duty to rescue and good samaritan law stuff out of it. Kind of nice to have a machine, rather than me, decide what to do. No liability for mis-reading the meter and using the paddles like in the old days. There is a lot I don't miss about the seventies (including disco).

 

Bark, there was never any liability to performing CPR or using the AED anyway. Under the Good Samaritan Act if you perform any kind of aid, as long as you are performing "to the best of your ability", you are relieved of any liability. The only time someone can be held responsible is when they are performing the assistance and receiving compensation for it. EMT's, Paramedics, paid first response teams, etc. OR, unless someone does something blatantly incorrect; like performing compressions with their foot!

Also, as a general rule, just because someone possesses a CPR or 1st Aid card does NOT require them to act. No one is under any obligation to respond to an emergency unless, again, they are being paid to do so or there is a reasonable expectation of a duty to act.

 

Also, even with an AED present, doesn't mean CPR may not still be required. The maching can't perform CPR and will advise to start CPR if shocks are unsuccessful.

 

Remember, most of the good AED's have a voice recorder in them that is activated when you turn them on. Make every move you take on tape!

They are now part of the last 2 day First Aid course I took. Great units and if it raises the rate of recovery from 2% to 80% as they report, whats the risk? Learn to use one!

 

Just for grins, I looked up the price. $1200 to $2000 depending on model. Thats not too bad even for a small business owner. Price will probably continue to drop.

Good point and I appreciate it. I shouldnt have cited the GS laws. Its just the defib units I was around didn't have a cardiac monitor. We had a seperate monitor that had (i think) three leads. Anyway, the only times I used it was when there was a Doctor making the calls.
Thats why I am really glad you started this post. Kinda takes the edge off playing with the new machines if I ever have to.

 

The Zolls are not very good. Not good reliability for low temps or water. You get what you pay for. The Lifelines are the ones recommended by the Medics in our area.

 

The cheapest one we've seen was around $500 and there's a 'homeowner' model that can be had for around $200. Runs on 'D' cell batteries.

That's a state-by-state thing. We've supplied a few in New England where the buyers specified they wanted that option while others have specified they did NOT want it. It depends on the doctor and the protocols he sets for his region. Out here in Michigan, no one wants the recording option.

Another option that most EMS organizations require is a cardiac strip history that can be faxed or data streamed to their transporting hospital. Just plug the machine into a phone jack and it dials and sends the cardiac history of the patient to the medical facility.

They're not my favorite either but I've seen worse. I think the most reliable unit we've seen so far has been the Cardiac Science. Simple to use, cheaper to get replacement batteries and pads for and so far, trouble free. They're also up-gradable when new CPR standards come out. (We went from 3 stacked shocks to a single shock on the last round of changes) A lot of the manufacturers either charge big money to do an up-grade or just make their units so that they can't be upgraded at all, making you either buy a new unit or just use the old protocols. Cardiac Science is one of the few that give you an up-grade CD for free, you just need a computer that has a working network port.

One other thing for a business to think about if they were considering the purchase of an AED, is what brand the local EMS agencies are using. The reason being is that the pads have an expiration date and pads aren't interchangeable between different brands of units. When pads get a few years on them of just sitting in their package, their adhesive tends to dry out and become UN-sticky. What a lot of our customers have done is to work out a deal with their local FD or ambulance provider so that when their pads are within 6 months or so of the expiration date, they trade them out with newer ones from the EMS agency. Generally, the EMS agency will use them before the 6 months when they expire. This saves the business between 60 and 140 bucks depending on what kind of unit we're talking about. Pads can get expensive!

 

The machine wouldn't be doing anybody any good sitting in a property room waiting on a trial for the records. A removable recording would take officers or EMS of the road for court when they have to come in to testify for the chain of evidence.