If one of your coworkers suddenly suffered from cardiac arrest in your workplace, would you know how to help them? It’s easy to say “yes” now, but that could change in the moment. Many people freeze up during emergency situations; to prevent that from happening, training sessions and practice scenarios should be mandatory.
Having the skills to react is important, but do you have the right tools on hand? Knowing CPR is great, but if manual chest compressions aren’t enough, what would you do? Whether compressions aren’t working, or nobody in the room actually knows how to perform CPR effectively, it’s best to have backup. The backup we’re referring to is an AED machine.
What is an AED Machine & What Does it Do?
An automatic external defibrillator delivers a safe, therapeutic electric shock to the heart. This device essentially helps revive patients whose hearts have failed due to cardiac arrest. AED machines are quite easy to use. While there is certainly a specific way to operate one, you really just have to place the pads on the patient in the right spots, and hit the green button.
Around 350k cardiac arrests happen outside of hospitals each year. If you don’t have one of these handy machines in your workplace, then you should pick one up immediately.