The automated defibrillator was invented to combat heart disease fatalities. Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. The rise in heart disease related deaths has prompted the medical community to find innovative ways to keep people alive after they've had a heart attack, stroke or other heart disease-related crisis.

What are Automated Defibrillators?

Defibrillators are electronic devices that help a person's heart work correctly for a short period of time. Defibrillators are very simple looking. They consist of a control box that houses the generator and battery. It also has two paddles that are attached to the generator with chords.

When a person has a heart attack, their heart starts beating erratically. This erratic behavior is called ventricular fibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation prevents blood from moving from the heart to the brain and other organs. If the heart isn't stabilized, damage can be caused to these organs or, in the worst-case scenario, the person can die.

Automated defibrillators get a person's heart back on track through a series of electric shocks. In fact, defibrillation, manual or automated, is the only way to combat ventricular fibrillation. The shocks free up the blockage and allow blood to once again start flowing to necessary organs. This also pulls the heart rate back down to a safe, normal rhythm.

The Advantages to Using Automated Defibrillators

Automated defibrillators aren't the only way to resuscitate a heart. Before automated defibrillators became the norm, emergency technicians used manual defibrillation. Both automated defibrillation and manual defibrillation share the same concept and have the same result, but manual defibrillation requires more skill and time.

Most automated defibrillation units that a layman would use have automated voices that explain what to do. These machines read the persons heart rate for you and even determine if the person needs a shock!

A person operating a manual defibrillation has to understand heart rhythms because they do the interpreting, not a machine. They then have to decide if the ECG shows that the person needs a shock. If a shock is needed, they must understand how to administer it themselves.

Manual defibrillators are generally used in hospitals, but you can buy an automated defibrillator for your home. The advantage to having one in your home is that you don't have to wait for emergency personnel to attempt a resuscitation.

Getting Help in Public with an AED

Automated defibrillator technology has gotten so advanced that many companies and governments are installing defibrillators in public spaces that have a lot of traffic. These "public access defibrillators" are placed on the wall of a very visible area such as a hallway in a train station.

An automated defibrillator is so simple to use, it doesn't even require a training program. They have step-by-step instructions so that anyone can help a person who goes into cardiac arrest.