Automated External Defibrillation

This course is for any company that has an AED machine, and staff who have already undertaken First Aid training. The use of defibrillation is known to be the only effective treatment for cardiac arrest, when the underlying cause is Ventricular fibrillation, or Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia. Evidence shows that survival rates increase dramatically, when
defibrillation is carried out in the first few minutes after cardiac arrest. Many people find the thought of using one of these machines daunting, but this course aims to alleviate those anxieties. The training includes thorough revision of CPR, the necessary background theory, as well as plenty of chances to practice the sequence of resuscitation, using an AED machine.

The course covers the following topics:

• Revision of Basic Life Support – CPR, assessment of an unconscious patient, secondary survey, and the recovery position
• Revision of cardiac anatomy, and heart conditions
• Arrhythmias and Ventricular fibrillation
• Sequence of actions when using AED, to include practical demonstration of safe use, followed by practice sessions for the whole group.
• Legal and reporting issues, maintenance of the machine, and debriefing after a resuscitation attempt.

Course Certification
Assessment of all candidates – (establishing the need for and carrying out CPR on an adult, and demonstrating safe practice when using an AED, in line with current protocols). This will take place at the end of the afternoon, and upon successfully passing both aspects of the training, each student will receive a certificate valid for 12 months.

Certification in this area lasts for a shorter time than most First Aid certificates: the Resuscitation council (UK) state that “The frequency of this refresher training will depend on the individual but, for guidance, skills should be refreshed at least once a year, but preferably more often”.(UK 2005 guidelines)