Basic AED Maintenance Tips and Tricks

AED’s are sophisticated devices and are easy to use but they do require some minimal inspection to verify they are working properly.  Having an AED present on-site is not enough to help save lives; you need to ensure that proper care and maintenance is being practiced most to preserve its high usability. Remember that AEDS are manmade apparatuses therefore glitches can happen anytime. To prevent these minute problems that can later turn big, why don’t you read these tips and tricks below and easily learn how to care for your Automatic External Defibrillator's.

1.       Daily inspection is needed – let’s start from the simplest maintenance tip which is the daily inspection of your unit. Remember that your AED should have a flashing black hourglass that indicates the “use” readiness of the device. Some manufacturers may use different symbols so please refer to your user manual and check which indicator signal its readiness for use. Should the device is not ready for use, immediately contact a trained personnel or manufacturer to help resolve the problem.

2.      Weekly inspection of the unit – you should also carry out a weekly inspection (preferably during weekends) to ensure that the device is working great. On weekly inspections, make sure that all stuffs related to AED like pads, PC cards, kits gloves are always in place and ready for use. Cleaning is also necessary to make AED units always fresh and free from harmful bacteria. Do not put any chemicals into the device without consulting the user manual. Disposable supplies should also be properly discarded to prevent transfer of microorganisms.

3.      Monthly check ups – to prevent AED failure, always do monthly check ups to the unit. Make sure that all supplies are within the date of use and those that are expired should be replaced immediately. AED pads should be replaced when worn out or as prescribe by the manufacturer. Should you have non working aed batteries, call the manufacturer and ask for immediate replacement. Remember that BIT or Battery Insertion Test should always be practiced before putting back the device.

4.       Yearly inspections – once a year self test is a must to ensure that your AED unit is free from technical issues or damages. Calling the manufacturer and asking for a self test will easily do the trick. Batteries should also be checked for its shelf life, remember that not all batteries are made to last forever. Cables and physical structure of the device should also be inspected to ensure that there’s no loose wiring, physical dents, cracks present on the device.

Automatic External Defibrillators can really help save lives and this is a fact not fiction. The life saving capabilities of an AED is more than enough to protect and keep them well maintained all the time. Remember that AEDs are so important should an SCA happen so don’t jeopardize the health and lives of the others, don’t overlook the device but rather keep them well maintained all the time.  

Does Daylight Saving Time Cause Heart Attacks?

Investigators reported an association between heart attacks (also called myocardial infarction) and switching to DST in the spring. Their report indicates that heart attacks among Swedish men and women increase by 5% during the first few weekdays after the clocks are advanced one hour in the spring for DST. This effect is partially reversed in the fall, when the incidence of heart attacks drops slightly after clocks are set back to standard time.

Does this mean that DST time is a public menace and should be abandoned? No. (As an Ohio farmer once explained to me, his corn crop really appreciates the extra hour of sunlight provided by DST - and it's hard to argue with logic like that.)

What this report actually means is that there is a link between sleep deprivation and cardiovascular problems. We've known about this link for a long time. But typically, sleep deprivation - an extremely common and almost "normal" phenomenon in modern society - occurs randomly among the population. In contrast, when we begin DST in the spring, we are systematically coordinating a night of sleep deprivation (and a few days of sleep-cycle readjustment) for a few billion people around the world simultaneously, which gives us an opportunity to observe and measure the effects of sleep deprivation across a large number of people. When we do so, we can see that sleep deprivation, in general, poses health risks.

So this study doesn't so much indicate that DST is a bad idea, but rather, points out that even a relatively minor sleep-disruptive event such as this one can have health consequences. What this study really means is that we should all pay more attention to our sleep cycles, do our best to get enough sleep, and try to avoid unnecessary disruptions in our sleep patterns.

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The Zero Heart Attack Path (ZHAP) Diet

The ZHAP diet is a low fat diet plan aimed at lowering your cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of suffering from a heart ailment. The ZHAP diet is a new, specially designed low fat diet plan which tastes as good as your normal food and which you will be able to adhere to without any difficulty. It is low in substances that are bad for your health and rich in substances that will protect you against heart disease and other illnesses. These meals are meant not just for the person at risk; they are for the whole family. This has two obvious benefits: one, you need not cook two sets of meals; two, the persons at risk is not tempted by the food consumed by others.
Salient features of the ZHAP diet.

This is a purely vegetarian diet which includes vegetables, fruits, pulses, grains and non-fat dairy products. It excludes all kinds of oils, butter, cheese, ghee (clarified butter), processed foods and coconut. Of course it goes without saying that sweets, fried items and alcohol are not a part of it.

Contrary to what is usually believed, there is no significant loss of taste due to the lack of oils, coconut and butter. Seasoning of curries, dals and sambars is more a matter of habit and dispensing with it doesn't really affect the taste of the particular dish. Use of butter in soups can be avoided by pureeing the cooked vegetables and adding a little bit of skimmed milk to it. In salads, try to use low fat yoghurt, lemon juice and vinegar instead of salad oil. Breakfast items like dosas should be prepared in a non-stick pan, which requires very small quantities of oil. By following such general principles, you can suitably modify your own favorites recipes into low fat items.

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Detailed Information about Good Samaritan law

Many people worry that if they learn CPR or use an AED, then they could be held legally responsible if the person dies. In fact this is not true. Emergency responders (even laypersons) are protected by the Good Samaritan laws.

What is a Good Samaritan law?
This is a law or an act in United States that protects those who render aid to a person injured or ill in an emergency. This law is also applicable to health care providers and other rescuers from being sued when they are giving an emergency help to a victim. Its purpose is to keep people from being so reluctant to help a stranger in need for fear of facing legal repercussions if they make some mistake in the treatment. A volunteer provides aid to a complete stranger therefore he owes to the stranger a duty of being reasonably careful. The word Samaritan comes from the story told by Jesus which said a traveler (Samaritan) aided an injured man with whom he had no affiliation. This means that if you do your best, using the training or equipment (e.g., CPR, AED) that you have, then you are not liable for the outcome, even if you cannot save the person. You are just doing the best that you can. People are rarely sued for helping in an emergency. Always activate emergency medical services as soon as possible.

Become a volunteer today
Statistics show that for every minute is essential for a person who has gone into a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Patients who receive CPR and a defibrillator shock within 3 minutes of going into cardiac arrest survive 74 percent of the time. A person who does not receive AED defibrillator shock with in 10 minutes has almost zero chances of survival. AEDs are user-friendly and low-maintenance devices that can really make a difference.

New technology has made AEDs Equipments simple and user-friendly. Clear audio and visual cues tell users what to do when using an AED and coach people through CPR. A shock is delivered only if the victim needs it.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Symptoms

Cardiac arrest is one of the greatest of all medical emergencies. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. The victim may or may not have diagnosed heart disease. When this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. Most cases of SCA are due to an arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation. Other electrical problems in the heart also can cause SCA. The irregular heart rhythm called arrhythmia can causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. Some cardiac arrests are caused due to extreme slowing of the heart. This is called bradycardia.

One needs to remember that Cardiac arrest strikes immediately and without warning. If a person has a cardiac arrest, they lose consciousness almost at once. This is the most extreme emergency. Unless someone starts cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) within three to four minutes followed by AED the person may suffer permanent damage to the brain and other organs. Use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) as soon as possible. One should know how to use AED Equipments.

Cardiac arrest can strikes immediately, without warning and are quite drastic. Here are some symptoms:

1) Sudden collapse
2) No pulse
3) No breathing
4) Loss of consciousness

Sometimes there are some early warning signs of Cardiac Attack like:

1) Respiratory arrest
2) Electrocution
3) Choking
4) Trauma
5) Chest pain
6) Weakness
7) Pounding in the chest
8) Fatigue
9) Fainting
10) Blackouts
11) Dizziness
12) Shortness of breath
13) Palpitations
14) Vomiting