• Automated external defibrillators can be found in EMS vehicles."Ambulance" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Matti Mattila (Matti Mattila) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  

Need

• When a heart attack develops into cardiac arrest, the heart will usually enter fibrillation, a state of awkward electrical activity. During fibrillation, the heart twitters uselessly and cannot pump blood. An AED provides an electric current to the heart. This current temporarily stuns the heart, ceasing all activity. This allows the heart a chance to recommence normal beating.
  
  

Survival Statistics

• The sooner an AED is used on a person who has suffered cardiac arrest, the greater the chance for survival. The majority of instances of cardiac arrest arises from a disorderly beating of the heart which can only be reestablished with an electric shock. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports that every minute defibrillation is delayed after cardiac arrest, chances for survival drop 10 percent. After 10 minutes, the chances for survival are practically nonexistent.
  
  

Training

• The American Heart Association recommends that even though an AED is not complicated to use, people still need training on how to use it. An operator needs to be trained on the particular model they might use in order to be familiar with it in case of a medical emergency. Training classes in the use of an AED, along with how to do CPR, are offered by the American Heart Association. The American Heart Association also recommends that defibrillators should be stationed in the vehicles of all emergency medical system first-responders and in public places.
  
  

General Information

• Defibrillators date back to the 1970s. An AED is lightweight and portable, usually weighing less than five pounds. It functions on rechargeable batteries. Since AEDs are so compact, they can be stored just about anywhere. AEDs are made and sold following Food and Drug Administration guidelines. Some AEDs can be purchased for the home, and some of them can even be worn under clothing. A doctor's prescription is needed.
  
  

Safety

• AEDs are programmed to convey a shock only if a reading determines one is necessary. The choice of whether a person needs to be shocked is made by the AED, not by the person using the device. If someone mistakenly hits the shock button, an AED will not perform the function if it is not needed. However, the federal Occupation, Safety, and Health Administration warns that someone who is untrained in the use of an AED can run the risk of shocking himself or others.