Nursing Educator and the AED Personal Experience Essay

Nursing Educator and the AED

Personal Experience of Teaching and Helping Other Nurses to be More Ready in the Use of a Phillips Heart Start Defibrillator (AED)

Children and young adults as well as other adults can and do have cardiac arrest. Estimations state that undiagnosed heart conditions cause the deaths of one individual every three days in organized youth sports in the United States. (AED Universe, 2012, paraphrased) The Survivor's Foundation states that 460,000 deaths occur each year in the U.S. from sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is reported to occur "when the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) suddenly stop beating normally and develop what is called ventricular fibrillation (VF). VF is a chaotic heart rhythm that is similar where the heart muscle begins quivering which prevents the heart from effectively pumping blood. If this condition is not corrected immediately, death will follow within ten minutes.

The AED

The automated external defibrillator (AED) is reported to be a "sophisticated, computerized device that delivers defibrillatory shocks to a person in cardiopulmonary arrest." (Survivor's Foundation, 2003) A defibrillator is the only known device/technique that stops the chaotic electrical heart activity and allows the heart to re-pace itself to a normal rhythm." (Survivor's Foundation, 2003) In five percent of cases, the heart will re-pace itself. CPR increases the chance of survival by five percent however, use of a defibrillator increases the chances of the patient's survival by up to 80%. Every minute after the onset of a sudden cardiac arrest reduces the chance of survival by 10%. The leading manufacturers of defibrillators are producing a new device that requires very little training and that is portable and inexpensive known as the Automated External Defibrillator (AED). (Survivor's Foundation, 2003, paraphrased)

II. Importance of Education on the Use of the AED

The educator with experience in the use of the Automated External Defibrillator passes on their knowledge to those whom they are instructing in the use of the AED. The AED has a primary role in decreasing the numbers of individuals who fail to survive sudden cardiac arrest. All healthcare staff "should be trained, equipped, and encouraged to perform defibrillation. AEDs should be easily accessible and not locked away." (Nursing Times, 2011) All healthcare staff, including practice nurses, community nurses, and health visitors "have a duty to perform effective CPR on their patients if required." (Nursing Times, 2011) Deakin et al. (2010) reports that these individuals should be "trained, equipped, and encouraged to perform defibrillation." (Nursing Times, 2011)

III. The AED: Semi-automated…