ABCs of AEDs – a life-saving lesson

Defib units save lives – here’s how they work and where you can find them.

Recently, two businesses teamed up to improve access to life-saving technology in Waihopai Valley. Golden Micro Solutions refurbished and donated an all-weather cabinet for an automated external defibrillator, or AED, to at Spy Valley Wines. As reported on last week’s Business page, the handover took place on 28 January.

Amanda Johnson, managing director of Spy Valley Wines, and Allan Udy, software developer at Golden Micro Solutions, shared a similar inspiration: an acquaintance (in Amanda’s case) or relative (in Allan’s case) who might have died from cardiac arrest if not for a nearby AED and someone willing to use it.

Resuscitating a person in extreme distress may seem daunting. What should I do? How does an AED work? Where would a device be situated?

Take a deep breath. Operating an AED does not require a medical degree, just a measure of calmness, steady hands and decent hearing.

As a Marlborough District Council spokesperson explains, the defibrillator unit “provides very clear verbal prompts which are designed to guide users through the required process in an emergency.” AED use “is covered as part of first aid training provided to Council staff.”

Various organisations incorporate defibrillation into cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training.

Those agencies include New Zealand Red Cross and St. John New Zealand.
Along with AEDs at private sites such as Spy Valley Wines, Council has devices installed at a dozen public facilities (see box).

Per the spokesperson, “Annual testing of the units is carried out by Council to ensure the AEDs are operational and ready for use.”