The AED checks
It analyzes the heart rhythm and decides whether a shock is advised.
AED Basics
An automated external defibrillator can check the heart’s rhythm and deliver a shock when needed. The device talks you through every step.
About a 5-minute lesson
Is someone unresponsive and not breathing normally?
Call 911Call 911, begin CPR, and use an AED as soon as one arrives.
You Don’t Diagnose the Rhythm
The AED guides
Listen carefully and follow its spoken and visual instructions.
The AED protects
It will not advise a shock unless it detects a shockable rhythm.
Six Simple AED Steps
Call 911 and begin CPR
Send someone for an AED. If you are alone with a phone, use speaker mode and follow the dispatcher.
Turn on the AED
Open the case and press the power button. Some AEDs turn on when opened.
Expose and prepare the chest
Remove clothing from the chest. Make sure the chest is bare and dry so the pads can stick.
Attach the pads
Use the pictures printed on the pads. Place them firmly on the bare chest exactly as shown.
Clear for analysis and shock
Make sure no one is touching the person. If the AED advises a shock, say “Clear,” check again, then press the shock button if instructed.
Resume CPR immediately
Start chest compressions again as soon as the AED tells you. Continue following every voice prompt.
Follow the Pictures on the Pads
Adult
Place one pad on the upper-right chest and the other on the lower-left side of the chest, as pictured on the pads.
Child or Infant
Use pediatric pads or a pediatric setting if available. If the pads might touch, place one on the chest and one on the back, following the AED diagrams.
Before analysis or shock
Everybody Clear
Say “Clear” loudly. Look from head to toe and confirm that nobody is touching the person before analysis or shock delivery.
Before Attaching Pads
Move the person away from standing water when safe to do so.
Dry a wet chest before applying pads.
Remove medication patches where a pad must go, using gloves if available, then wipe the area.
Do not place a pad directly over a visible implanted-device bump. Place it at least one inch away.
Keep CPR interruptions short.
Continue CPR while the AED is being prepared. Pause only when the AED tells everyone to clear, then resume immediately when prompted.