Defibrillators

Do you have access to a Defib in your place of work either provided by your employer or the Property Management Company.

 

My hands. Muuuaaahhahahahaha

 

negative, we dont have jack. sad for a dealership where there is danger around every corner.

 

not at work...but we have like 4 of them at school

 

We got them last year at work. Saved a co-worker/friend's life soon after. They do require only trained personnel operate them.

 

Trained personnel? There are 2 buttons and automated voice instructions. I dont know how trained you have to be to run one of these.

To stay on topic, there are no at my place of employment, but 3 or 4 at school.

 

Before we got AED's at my old job, we had the old defibrillators with the EKG readout.....had to be an EMT or Paramedic to operate it. When I was an EMT we were trained to operate these.

My job now has the AED's

 

ahh ic

 

yes we have one on each ambulance/fire truck

 

I've been a paramedic now for 3 years and I've seen AEDs save lives before. Once a person becomes "pulseless" there is roughly a 4 minute window in which a person can be brought back. Of course CPR can stretch this amount of time out, but an ambulance is not always 4 minutes away. AEDs are worth the 1200.00 price tag. Every community should have them in high traffic areas. I encourage everyone to take a basic CPR class. They cover the use of AEDs in these classes. AEDs are so simple to use a caveman could do it.

 

They are pretty idiot proof. We had to get trained on them and the training was a joke. It trains you while you use it.

We have one at work. They are putting them everywhere on the base here.

 

X2 and if you need to take a cpr class check with your local fire department or hospital, here we have a recert class every year and enchourage the community to join, and even hospital members will arrive. you never know where or when you will need this skill

 

Yes I do. It's called the "Crash Cart".

On a defribillator, or AED, just hook it up, and follow the instrucitons. It has basic analysis abilities to look for shockable rhythms.

Primarliy Ventricular Fibrillation. In the ER, we remember this as if you see "V-Fib" on the monitor, you "De-fib", or shock them. Another shockable rhythm is Ventricular Tachycardia, which eventually leads to V-Fib anyway. Both of these terms just mean that the lower/larger chambers of the heart are not pumping as they should and just quivering, which does not allow them to fill and pump effectively.

The machines have no true monitor screen. So you can't and don't need to see small nuiances of the rhythm.

Just make sure to stand back and not touch the patient. The machine will say "Stand back", or "Stand clear". You will be shocked if you touch the patient.

If there is no machine and you feel that you think it's a heart thing, there is the good old fashioned "Precordial Thump".

This is just a hammer fist to the chest. Which has started hearts. I've seen it done in a pinch. This is used only when there is no medical staff, no AED, or any help or hope and CPR is not starting the heart, just perfusing the organs. If the heart has stopped (no rhythm) and there is no options, then you hammer fist the chest.

AGAIN, DO NOT DO THE HAMMER FIST. I am reiterating what has been done and worked and I AM NOT SAYING TO DO THIS. It is just informational.

This is a last resort method and NOT advised by me for you or anyone to use. I'm just stating this for information.

 

No need. Emory Hospital is across the street. And the 1st responders base is in our building.

 

Didn't you see the movie Crank.

 

Got a Philips Heartstart strapped to the cage behind my seat. If I knew how to use my Blackberry, I'de upload a photo.

 

Yea, we got them on every crash cart in each unit. I work in the hospital
im a registered nurse

 

yes. I work on a NASA base and they're all about safety -- all the time (to the point that it's ridiculous... but that's the Gov't for ya...)

wouldn't have thought that nurseboy... lol

 

Yes we do. It is right in the middle of our admin area. What's funny is that no one has messed with it. Usually we would have already played with it and broken it!