Automated External Defibrillators
AED Orientation Video
This is a 5 minute video, provided by the manufacturer, highlighting the benefits and proper use of the Automated External Defibrillator.
If you experience problems viewing the video, you should download the latest Windows Media Player software from the Microsoft Website.
Through an initiative of the Voluntary Protection Program Steering Committee, PNNL placed an important addition to our first aid response actions: an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) program.
The AED is a small portable device that analyzes the heart rhythm of a person who may have sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) caused by an electrical malfunction that makes the heart "quiver" ineffectively. This condition is called Ventricular Fibrillation (VF) and is extremely serious.
AEDs are placed in several PNNL buildings (typically lobbies and/or adjacent to first aid kits (AED locations may be found at the MIT or VPP site) and are designed by the manufacturer to be as simple as possible to use. Time is critical. The goal of the program is to use the AED on a victim in a PNNL facility within three minutes of cardiac arrest so that a shock can be delivered in the event that VF is detected. This will increase the chance from less than 10 to more than 60 or 70 percent that the victim will walk out of the hospital.
Modern AEDs are designed to be very safe and easy to use. The units being deployed by PNNL require only that the unit be opened and simple graphic and audible instructions be followed for the unit to be successfully used. The unit will not deliver a shock unless it has been applied properly to a victim, the person is confirmed to be in VF, and in need of a shock. Units such as this have been proven to result in dramatic improvement in the possibility of survival for victims of cardiac arrest.
The AED enables PNNL to deliver early defibrillation to victims in those first critical moments after a sudden cardiac arrest. Responders' use of the AED does not replace the care provided by emergency medical services (EMS) but it is meant to provide a lifesaving bridge during the first few minutes it takes for advanced life support personnel to arrive.
Although the device is simple to use, our volunteer first aid providers are encouraged to complete AED training to provide the best response possible. This does not preclude anyone else from taking training or using the AED as allowed under the Good Samaritan laws. If you are interested in AED training, please contact your training coordinator for further information.