Automated External Defibrillators, also known as AEDs or simply just defibrillators, are vital, life-saving pieces of medical equipment. Due to the fact that defibrillators are used in life or death situations, and are often misunderstood, many defibrillator myths arise.
In this blog, we will look at some common myths around defibrillators and explore the truth behind them.
Myth 1: You need to be trained to use a defibrillator
Modern defibrillators are designed so that anyone can use them with absolutely no prior training required. A cardiac arrest is a severe medical emergency where death comes within minutes without treatment, meaning that defibrillators must be simple enough to use that anyone in the vicinity of a cardiac arrest could retrieve an AED and use it without any training.
Myth 2: You shouldn’t touch someone while using a defibrillator
One of the other common defibrillator myths is true in some circumstances, however is not fully correct. When someone has collapsed and is not breathing, with their heart not beating – CPR must be given immediately until the defibrillator is attached.
The defibrillator will instruct you when to stop touching the casualty, while it analyses the rhythm and delivers shock if needed. When the defibrillator is not doing this, it is vital to continue giving CPR to the casualty to keep oxygenated blood moving around their body and to their vital organs.
With that being said, any training around CPR and defibrillator use is advantageous as it builds confidence in someone to intervene and makes them more likely to take action as a bystander in a cardiac arrest situation.
Myth 3: A defibrillator can start a stopped heart
A defibrillator will only shock someone’s heart if it detects a shockable rhythm – most commonly Ventricular Fibrillation or Ventricular Tachycardia. In both of these states, the heart is not stopped – it is in an irregular rhythm that does not support life.
A shock from a defibrillator actually momentarily stops the heart, allowing the body’s natural pacemaker to kick the heart back into a normal rhythm. If the heart has fully stopped beating (asystole) then a defibrillator will not deliver a shock.
Myth 4: Defibrillators could harm the casualty
One of the more common defibrillator myths, this most likely comes from what people see of defibrillators on television: big paddles that are rubbed together and pressed against a casualty giving a massive, jolting shock. In reality, defibrillators are small devices which attach to the patient’s chest with adhesive pads.
The pads analyse the heart rhythm of the casualty and will only deliver a shock if it recognises a shockable rhythm, the shock is needed to save the person’s life. A defibrillator will never shock someone if they do not require a shock.
Myth 5: You could be sued for using a defibrillator on someone
In the UK, no one has ever been successfully sued for giving life-saving treatment as a bystander, and legislation protects someone who intervenes with the intention of saving someone’s life – whether they are successful or not.
In 2015, the UK passed the Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act, also known as the SARAH Act, to help eliminate fears of liability that bystanders may have when intervening in a medical emergency.
The Act’s introduction states that: “There is evidence to suggest that people are deterred from volunteering, helping others or intervening in an emergency due to the fear of risk and/or liability.”
Removing this apprehension is the main goal of the SARAH Act; it states that if someone is deemed to be acting in the best interests of society or acting in a genuine attempt to help someone, then the courts will take this into consideration if they are sued.
Myth 6: Defibrillators are expensive and difficult to maintain
As a life-saving piece of medical equipment, around £1000 as an average upfront cost for an AED is nothing against the cost of a life. Though some companies do offer rental options for defibrillator units to mitigate this upfront cost, with DefibWarehouse offering rental packages for as low as 0.99p per day including storage and training.
Units such as the Primedic HeartSave Y or the iPAD NFK200, have a built-in paediatric button to switch between adult and child modes without the need for extra pads – further reducing the ongoing costs associated with defibrillators.
