Sudden cardiac arrest kills more than 300,000 Americans every year, many of who die before reaching a hospital. The most common initial arrhythmias, or heart malfunctions, in adult cardiac arrest can be corrected with electricity using an automated external defibrillator (AED).
An AED is a computerized medical device that can check a person’s heart rhythm and recognize when the heart requires an electrical shock to return it to a normal rhythm. The AED uses voice prompts to guide the rescuer on how to use it. There are many different brands of AEDs, but all of them are easy to use.