AED Solutions has key information for purchasing an AED collected for you, on this page. AED Solutions also helps givinig free AED advice.
Purchasing an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) increases the safety in your living and/or working environment. Several factors play a role when purchasing an AED. AED Solutions offers high quality defibrillators for trained and inexperienced users. We collected the most important information and the most frequently asked questions for purchasing an AED on this page. We also take a closer look at some important technical specifications of a defibrillator.
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Would you prefer a custom advice? Then our AED specialists are happy to visit you for an obligation free consultation. The specialist will take your wishes, the location and budget into account. In addition, our AED experts can think along with you to find a suitable location and the accessories needed, like an AED cabinet or wall bracket. They also would like to discuss the necesarry service and maintenance to make sure that you can trust on the proper functioning of your AED for years. Our goal is to completely unuburden AED users in the field of AED's.
An AED (Automated external defibrillator) is a portable lifesaving a device for victims of a sudden cardiac arrest. In a cardiac arrest, the heart doesn't work properly because of ventricular fibrillation. A fibrillating heart has not stopped completely, but gives small irrigular stimuli causing that the heart chambers no longer contract. This can only be remedied by defibrillation. When necessary, an electric shock will stop the heart for a moment, after which the heart has to pick up the 'normal' rhythm again. Application of a shock to reset the heart rhythm is called defibrillation.
The AED doesn't give a shock when the heart has come to a full stop or when the heart does still function well, for example, when the victim is unconscious. Until the AED device is present and between the possible shocks, CPR has to be provided. Providing CPR ensures that blood still is pumped trough the body and the (vital) organs continue to receive oxygen. This reduces the risk of permanent injury.
A victim of sudden cardiac arrest has an increased chance of survival when resuscitation and defibrillation is provided within 6 minutes. Therefore it is important that there is an AED haning within a radius of 6 minutes everywhere, the so-called 6 minute zones. To ensure this, it is important that companies, clubs and neighbourhoods together take care that the neighbourhood is equipped with an AED device. Often municipalities are willing to support the AED initiatives.
In addition, for companies it is of extra importance because an AED increases the safety of the employees. By purcasing an AED as company or together with surrounding companies and hang it on a publicly accessible location, it is possible to respond appropriately to a sudden cardiac arrest. Besides, companies located in a city centre or residential area can also show there social responsibility. In particulare beacause of the presence of many visitors or in risky environments, having an AED is actually a necessity. Think about care centers, shopping malls, educational institutions, gyms or hall complexes.
Not all AED's on the market are and do work the same and not all AED devices are suitable to be used in every user situation. For example, there are a few functions and features on which AED devices are distinctive, this often also explains the price differences between different AED models.
One of the first things where to pay attention to is whether the AED will hang indside or outside. AED Solutions and leading institutions, like the Red Cross, the Heart foundation and many medical specialists recommend to always hang the AED outside for public accessibility. In a good AED cabinet will the AED be protected and extra visible. However, not all types of AED devices are as suitable to hang outside. Even in a (heated) AED cabinet are some of the models not resistant to the cold or temperature changes.
The most striking is the difference between semi automatic AED's and fully automatic AED's. With a semi-automatic AED the rescue helper needs to push the shock button when the AED indicates so. The advantage of a semi automatic AED device is that a rescue helper can check whehter nobody is still touching the victim before the shock is delivered. A fully automatic AED, on the other hand, generally shocks faster. Fully automatic AED's give a shock by themselves when the AED has announced it. At AED Solutions we do notice that in the Netherland the preference is generally for a semi automatic AED, while in Belgium the fully autmatic AED is more popular.
In addtion, the IP value is an important factor. The IP value tells something about the dust and water tightness of an AED. At a high IP value, the AED's can be used and stored in more extreme circumstances. Click here for a detailed explanation about the IP value.
The highest IP values for AED devices are IP-55 and IP-56, of which IP-55 is the most common. These AED's are dustfree and water jet tight, causing that the defibrillators can also used for a deployment in the (heavy) rain. A lower IP value doesn't mean that an AED is unsuitable immidiately, this only means that it is safe to use in fewer situations. If the AED, for example, is meant to be used outside or in an industrial environment, the IP value is an important thing to take into account.
Furthermore, the energy level of the deliverd shocks of the different models are far apart. Better AED devices have an increasing energy level and can deliver shocks up to 300 to 360 Joules. The shocks start at a lower power level to limit collateral damage. An increasing energy level increases the chance of succes with a deployment. When an AED continues to use the same (low) shock power or has a low maximum energy release, this can lead to a lower succesrate of the defibrillation.
Due to new regulations and innovations, nowadays there are more and further diverging options and functions on the AED. One of the newest functions is a infant/child button on the AED allowing to automatically adjust the energy level to children below 8 years/25 kg. This causes that it isn't necessary to connect seperate pediatric electrodes and this saves valuable time. Also, the AED can have a multilangual option, the language of the instructions changes at at the push of a button, this is especially an asset for organisations with international employees and/or foreign visitors. In addition, remote monitoring is booming these days. This allows the status of the AED or multiple AED devices to be followed (monitored) online via Wifi or a wireless network. The status of the AED('s) and the AED accessories can be seen online by the owner/manager. This can save time and money on manual checks. This function is available for the newest models of AED's, but is since 2020 also available on the newest AED cabinets .
Some other options that may be taken into account when purchasing a suitable AED include the presence of a CPR metronome, spoken and/or visual CPR instructions, instant CPR feedback and the fastest time to the first shock from connecting the AED device.
Take a quick look in our AED Solutions webshop for the available AED models and use the AED comparison tool to compare the mentioned functions of different AED models.
Are you in doubt or do you want a personal advice and explanation about different models of AED devices?
Please get in touch, our AED Specialist are happy to advice you about purchasing an AED and respond directly to your usage situation. Our AED experst have years of experience and have knowledge of many different usage situations. This allows them to always offer a suitable solutions to you.
