Category Archives: Automated External Defibrillators

Is Your AED Obsolete?

Is Your AED Obsolete?

Warning!  If you purchased an AED before 2005, it may not be compliant with the current American Heart Association (AHA) / European Resuscitation Council (ERC) Guidelines for Resuscitation.  AEDs manufactured prior to 2005 are programmed to perform up to 3 sequences of analyzing and delivering shocks.  This process can take approximately 45 seconds to one minute.  This methodology of defibrillation was found to be less effective because CPR cannot be performed during this time.  Current guidelines require a pause in CPR to be less than 10 seconds.

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Keep Your Emergency Skills Sharp and Your Tools Current

A 1986 study1 surveyed 4,000 dentists about the occurrence of medical emergencies in the dental setting.  Over a ten year period, the researchers found that every dentist surveyed experienced an average of 7.5 medical emergencies, almost one every year.  While that study may be dated, the take-home message certainly is very much relevant.  Continue reading Keep Your Emergency Skills Sharp and Your Tools Current

Responding to Medical Emergencies in the Dental Environment

Are you prepared for an emergency? As healthcare practitioners, you rely on your professional judgment to provide your patients with the best dental care possible. Many years of study, training and internship go into making what most Continue reading Responding to Medical Emergencies in the Dental Environment

The Importance of AED Maintenance and Visibility

Although Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are instrumental in converting lethal heart rhythms into better manageable ones, an AED is useless if it doesn’t work or if no one is willing to use it.  According to a recent report published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, 1,150 cardiac arrest deaths in a 15 year period are connected to the failure of an AED.  Continue reading The Importance of AED Maintenance and Visibility