Malignant arrhythmias, primarily ventricular, can result in cardiovascular collapse and the patient's progressive loss of pulse, respiration, and consciousness. It may lead to death if emergency measures are not taken in time.

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An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a portable medical device that treats life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias by automatically diagnosing and defibrillating the patient and restoring he or she to a normal heart rate. When any bystander notices a patient is in cardiac arrest, it is suggested to find a nearby AED immediately to deliver life-saving treatment. To ensure that cardiac arrest patients receive in-time and effective assistance, AED devices are generally designed to be simple and intelligent enough to be used by people with no medical background.

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Nevertheless, to ensure the effectiveness of treatment with AEDs, governments and other social organizations have paid more attention and energy to the popularization of AED training. According to the American Heart Association¡¯s Workplace Safety Training Initiative, the majority of employees are not prepared for sudden cardiac arrest in the workplace and over half of them are unable to find an AED on site because of a lack of training^[1]. Having more AED training is therefore an urgent task to a successful public AED program.

What is AED Training?

AED training, or more precisely CPR training, is a training course that provides trainees with first-aid knowledge and practical skills to rescue patients with sudden cardiac arrest in a safe, timely, and effective manner. In most cases, CPR/AED training courses from local Red Cross societies and agencies will teach you how to use an AED, when to use it and how to perform CPR. Online sessions, offline experiential courses, and blended simulation learning (mixing online content with hands-on skills sessions) can all be used to train on AEDs.

What¡¯s the Importance of AED Training?

In an emergency such as a sudden cardiac arrest, time is of the essence. Failure to defibrillate within 5 minutes of a cardiac arrest leaves only a 50% chance of survival for SCA patients, and after 12 minutes, this number drops to 2%-5% ^[2]. Therefore, rescuers need the skills and confidence to quickly and effectively combine AED and CPR skills to save the patient's life. These skills and confidence can be acquired through AED training.

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Who Needs to Take AED Training?

The people most likely to perform external defibrillation on a patient in cardiac arrest are among the most important intended users of AEDs. These intended users may be floor managers, railway station staff, gym instructors, physical education teachers, etc. Individuals who routinely deal with dense crowds or emotionally agitated people in their daily work are more likely to encounter an SCA emergency.

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If they receive regular AED training including situational interaction and simulation exercises, they can provide timely, high-quality care to patients in the most urgent of times. It is crucial for them to acquire skills not only on how to operate the AED equipment properly but also on how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to maintain blood circulation until emergency medical services (EMS) arrive. All these can improve the quality of defibrillation and CPR and ensure a smooth rescue process for patients in cardiac arrest.

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It is also increasingly recognized that, if possible, all people should attend AED training and acquire certain AED knowledge and skills.? Cardiac arrest emergencies can happen to anyone in their daily lives, and using the knowledge gained from AED training to respond properly can go a long way in saving other lives.

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AED training from trusted organizations often sets strict eligibility criteria and offers CPR and AED certification to qualified participants. Although no policy or regulation specifies an individual must be AED certified to perform sudden cardiac arrest resuscitation, being AED certified will give the patient's family and others around you more trust, and make the rescue process smoother.

The premium AED training kit provides a realistic experience for AED training: pre-programmed guidance in multiple languages, voice prompts, and visual images will provide participants with the smartest and easiest way to operate the device. In addition, the Mindray AED Training Kit has passed the same drop and waterproof tests as the real device. It is by making trainees more familiar with the AED kits that have the same look and function as real equipment, that guarantees more confidence for them to perform effective rescues in real rescue scenarios.

References:
[1]?Americans Unprepared for Workplace Cardiac Emergencies. Available at: https://news.heart.org/americans-unprepared-for-workplace-cardiac-emergencies/ (Accessed: January 26, 2022)

[2]?Part 4: The Automated External Defibrillator. Key Link in the Chain of Survival. AHA Journals. August 22, 2000, Vol 102, Issue suppl_1, Page 60-70. Available at: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circ.102.suppl_1.I-60 (Accessed: January 26, 2022)