FAQs

WHAT IS A DEFIBRILLATOR?

A defibrillator (also known as an Automated External Defibrillator or AED) is a compact, lightweight and portable medical device that a bystander can use on a person who has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.

The defibrillator uses electricity to deliver an electrical shock to the heart to help it return to its normal pumping rhythm.

IS A DEFIBRILLATOR SAFE TO USE?

You cannot hurt someone by using a defibrillator

A defibrillator will detect if and when to deliver a shock to the heart, and it will not shock a person’s heart if it’s not needed.

IS A DEFIBRILLATOR EASY TO USE?

You do not require training to be able to operate a defibrillator, so anyone can use a defibrillator. Most defibrillators come with audio or visual instructions for ease of use.

HOW IMPORTANT IS A DEFIBRILLATOR FOR TREATING A SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST VICTIM?

Most cases of sudden cardiac arrest happen to a person out of a hospital – that means at home, at work, at a gym or playing sport.

As one the leading causes of adult deaths in Australia, only 10% of people survive an out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest. Minutes matter when a person suffers a sudden cardiac arrest and having a defibrillator available at that crucial time will dramatically increase the chances of a person surviving by up to 70%

DOES MY WORKPLACE NEED A DEFIBRILLATOR?

A sudden cardiac arrest can strike people of all ages, even the young and healthy and usually without any symptoms or prior warning. This means, it could happen to someone at your workplace.

When a business is deciding whether to have a defibrillator at the workplace, it should consider the likelihood of a work colleague experiencing a cardiac arrest while at work and whether it is reasonably practicable to have a defibrillator on site to manage and greatly reduce the risk of death from cardiac arrest in the workplace. A defibrillator can be a risk control in addition to other risk control measures, such as having an appointed First Aid officer.

IS  SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST THE SAME AS A HEART ATTACK?

Sudden cardiac arrest and a heart attack are not the same thing.

A sudden cardiac arrest (sca) is an ‘electrical’ problem, and there is a sudden loss of heart function and consequently the heart stops beating which means that the heart can no longer pump blood and oxygen to the vital organs of the body, eg. brain. In the case of a sudden cardiac arrest, a person generally does not experience any prior warning or symptoms that their heart is about to stop beating and therefore they have no opportunity to seek medical assistance.

A heart attack is a ‘plumbing’ problem, and is when the blood flow from the arteries to the heart are blocked. A person is generally conscious at the time and usually experiences symptoms and a warning, such as a pain in the chest or arm, shortness of breath, nausea or feeling light-headed, and generally they have an opportunity to seek medical assistance.