How to Save a Life: Using a Defibrillator
More Public Places Now Have Automatic External Defibrillators
This morning on "Good Morning America," ABC News' senior health and medical editor Dr. Richard Besser demonstrated the proper way to use an automatic external defibrillator (AED). AEDs are used to normalize a person's heart rhythm if they experience sudden cardiac arrest. According to Besser, 50,000 lives can be saved each year if an AED is used properly. Here are the basic steps:
Call out to the person to find out if he or she is responsive. If he or she is unresponsive, check to see if the person is breathing and has a pulse. If the unresponsive person is not breathing, then begin CPR.
If the person does not have a pulse, it could mean that his or her heart is not beating. Power on the AED and follow the audio commands.