NOT knowing that defibrillators have expiry dates could be the difference between life and death. After at least one unconfirmed report of an incident in Euroa in the past year that could have been fatal, community members and proprietors are being urged to check in on their Automated External Defibrillator’s (AED) expiry status. Several community members contacted this masthead during the week to raise the need for awareness that both the pads and batteries on AEDs do have their own expiry dates that need checking. AED Authority manager Kaz Sedgwick told The Euroa Gazette that managers of businesses, offices, and public places which have accessible defibrillators installed, needed to be ‘AED-ready’. “I mean, they have gone to all the trouble to invest in these life-saving devices, and just to go the next step and expense to have the batteries checked or replaced is not a big ask, really,” Ms Sedgwick said. Ms Sedgwick also said expiry dates differed between batteries and pads on the same device and between different AED brands. “Not only do pads have their own expiration date, but they need to be replaced if they have been used," she said. Ms Sedgwick said AEDs gave specific audio instructions when used in an emergency and which were specific to each case due to the pads’ ability to determine the condition of the patient. “It works out the electrical part of the heart; it knows exactly what to do. "If the patient is not in cardiac arrest the machine knows not to send a shock and instead will tell you to continue CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and it will give you visual and speech guidance. “It will tell you what needs doing and the instructions are very clear, and is what keeps that person alive until emergency services arrive." AED Authority offers concierge monitoring programs if an organization has multiple devices. “It is something we do here, that the team definitely let people who have a device know that it does need monitoring. “It may seem difficult, and people can get a bit blasé but it’s vital that AEDs are kept monitored and that their batteries have not expired. “It’s simple, it’s not a hard thing, but it could be disastrous.”
