I tell everyone I train: AEDs are designed so that anyone can use them, even with no medical background. Turn it on. It will speak to you. Attach the pads exactly as shown on the picture on each pad, one below the right collarbone and one on the left side below the armpit. Stand back when it tells you to. The device will analyse the heart rhythm and deliver a shock only if one is needed. You cannot harm someone with an AED who is already in cardiac arrest.
Written by Dr. Nilu Sunil, MBBS, DEM, FEM, FACEE, FRCEM (A), PGDHHM, PGDMLS, EMDM, MBA, Head of Emergency Medicine, SPARSH Hospital, Hennur Road, Bengaluru. 25+ years, 10,000+ emergency cases managed. CPR trainer: 30,000+ people trained. Phone: +91 9000888624.
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