You attach the electrode pads for the device to the man and turn the AED on. The machine starts to give you loud verbal commands that you follow. This is a way to help save lives previously lost to sudden cardiac death. AEDs make the earliest possible defibrillation a reality, and the American Heart Association recommends placing these devices in areas where large numbers of people congregate, such as stadiums and gymnasiums. About 250,000 deaths occur annually from sudden cardiac arrest.
Most cardiac arrests are due to abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias.
VF is a condition in which the heart's electrical impulses suddenly become chaotic, often without warning, causing the heart's pumping action to stop abruptly. Death can follow within minutes. Defibrillation is the key to surviving a cardiac arrest. If used within minutes of the arrest, it can restore the heart's normal rhythm. But for each minute that passes without defibrillation, the chance of survival decreases by about 10 percent.