AED, I coach youth volleyball our practice facility needs an AED.

I coach youth volleyball, and our practice facility will purchase an AED. Any recommendations, suggestions, or advice would be greatly appreciated. Please PM, respond to the post, or email me. [email protected]
Thank you.

Not sure about the hardware, but invest in good training too. The decision to need to use an AED on a person in an emergency situation would, quite frankly be terrifying and adrenaline surged for a non medical professional. I remember taking AED training as part of a larger First Aid class and thinking how scared I would probably be if I needed to use it on a real person. Good thorough training will help with people's confidence to step up and act in an emergency.

Best of luck and hoping you never need to use it!

Contact your local Red Cross. They administer first aid classes including instruction on using an AED; I'm sure the instructor would recommend a brand or tell you what they use.

I've used them for decades now but it's the kind of thing that is either on site or bought my employer. I haven't had to think about them but they all seem about the same. I'm sure there are differences but my only concern is would be cost and cost of batteries over the lifetime of the machine. As mentioned above training is key. If nobody puts it on then it doesn't matter what you got. One really great thing is the CPR features. They tell you what to do and have metronomes on them to pace the provider. I'll throw this in too: Change CPR providers (the person pushing on the chest) more often than you think you should. Everyone thinks they can keep going and most people's effectiveness goes down pretty quickly. I don't know what the official recommendation is now but going for more than a minute starts adding up when there are only 2 providers switching off. I'm sure there are ER staffers that can do 10 minutes of high quality compressions but IRL people suck at it.

We have one at the gym I use at work.

On the door you have to open to access the device it says:

"For use by Trained Responders Only. Alarm will sound."

I have no clue who the "Trained Responders" are, but I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't many around. I'm guessing that it comes down to luck if some random passer-by happens to be one.

As the crow flies the nearest fire station is just over half a mile away, so they could probably get there in a few minutes, assuming there's a second person in there to call 911.

I guess the point of my story is that having an AED on site is one thing, having the people who know how to use it is another.

Last year, I was on a jury in a wrongful death lawsuit. Much of the testimony centered around when the guy went into respiratory arrest following an in-office procedure. The doctor did not have an AED in the office because he has a crash cart. The doctor and staff commenced CPR immediately. EMS arrived within a minute of being called because they were 2 blocks away. EMTs hooked up an AED and it told them to continue CPR because there was no heart beat. In the right hands an AED can help save a life even if it just tells you what to do.

Ok well you open the pads, put them on according to the diagram, turn on the machine and follow the instructions it gives you-while never stopping the cpr, which is the first thing you do if the person is unresponsive to verbal commands. People get a real “sick” look to them during this type of event.

*every crash cart I’ve been around has a Zoll monitor which is a defib/pacer/shock mechanism. This is in the hospital setting. Not sure about a Dr office however the terminology is familiar to a medical person*

So the Navy allows any FDA approved AED, so they have varied at various assignments I had, but the last one I remember checking was a ZOLL AED PLUS. Like fire extinguishers, they are infrequently used, so make sure you have a solid inspection plan to check them to ensure they are in good working order--nothing would be worse than having one that didn't work when needed. We inspected monthly.

Every fire truck is mandated to have an AED since I think about 2009 or '10, so you can probably walk into your local FD and ask about what they use, perhaps for your situation they can make a recommendation.

In addition to the inspection plan, make sure you have a good plan for training on how to use it. They are pretty basic, but when needed it will be a high stress situation, and I can't overestimate how that can really affect people--you don't want some one fumbling around trying to read instructions in a panic as someone is potentially dying on the ground.

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Originally Posted by jimcav

Every fire truck is mandated to have an AED since I think about 2009 or '10, so you can probably walk into your local FD and ask about what they use, perhaps for your situation they can make a recommendation.

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My point above was that these decisions are made at an institutional level. Unless that local department is very small the firefighters will not have any side by side comparisons for decision making. Feel free to go in and ask but just don't expect them to know anything about the AED besides how to use it. In use they are all pretty much the same.

I was working at an ambulance company today and asked them for a recommendation. They suggested Stryker. They use a bells and whistles version, but said there's also a simpler, "consumer" version.

Thank you, to all for the helpful recommendations. DavidB.

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Originally Posted by Peter Polack

I was working at an ambulance company today and asked them for a recommendation. They suggested Stryker. They use a bells and whistles version, but said there's also a simpler, "consumer" version.

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OT - was just in Phoenix and Stryker had a conference in the hotel where we were staying. There were about 5 or 6 fire trucks outside on Tuesday when we came back from lunch. Thought the hotel was on fire. Inside there was a conference room full of equipment. I hadn’t heard of them before, but now it is twice in two days.

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Originally Posted by rec head

My point above was that these decisions are made at an institutional level. Unless that local department is very small the firefighters will not have any side by side comparisons for decision making. Feel free to go in and ask but just don't expect them to know anything about the AED besides how to use it. In use they are all pretty much the same.

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Fair point but my experience with fed fire on navy bases is they order from an authorized for use list, they have use it or lose it funds and more senior guys have seen several iterations of equipment. I’d say go in and ask. It may be the local FD has had the same AED for decades with no input on purchase or they may have had 4 diff models in 10 years. Either way they can at least tell you what they like or don’t like or any maintenance issues.

Stryker is the one to get. It has greater “shockable” range to bring you back if needed as compared to its competitors. I’m not a frequent poster but feel like this is a topic that definitely has much focus lately. My wife was at the conference in Scottsdale and works for Stryker so I’ve got a bit of insight on this, alhough not as a clinician. Ask your local EMS or cardiologist and you will very likely hear a referral for Stryker.