Today there are many different resuscitation products used in modern medicine. One of them is the so-called Automated External Defibrillators or AED's. As it can easily be understood the main goal of these devices is defibrillation of the heart. It represents a combination of a control unit (with special power unit installed in it) and two electrodes connected to it. And these electrodes are very important because the right choice and correct placement of these electrodes affect effectiveness of the entire procedure.
In most of the modern defibrillator electrodes are made of metal with special insulated handles. Before the use of such electrodes special gel is applied to provide better connectivity between electrodes and patient's body. Other types of electrodes have special adhesive pad. So, these electrodes can be connected to the body of patient who is at high risk of cardiac problems. And these electrodes stay connected to patient's body and defibrillator device and they can be used when necessary with no need to apply special gel.
All defibrillator devices that are used today can be divided into two groups - internal and external defibrillators.
As it is clear by the name of the device electrodes of internal defibrillator can be used inside the patient's body. So the charge of the device can be applied directly to the heat and thus lower voltage can be used in the procedure. Some of these defibrillators can even be implanted into patient's body. That sort of devices is called internal cardiac defibrillators or "ICD". Some patients with high risk of ventricular fibrillation might need immediate actions - ICD device can detect ventricular fibrillation and start defibrillation right away.
External defibrillators are common types of resuscitation products in hospitals. But modern technology achievements make these complex devices much cheaper and easier to use. So, today there are even so-called automated external defibrillators. These automated external defibrillators or "AED" as they are usually called can be easily used by people with minimal if any medical knowledge.
Automated external defibrillators are intended for home use or for use in public places, like train stations or airport. In most cases automated external defibrillators are made in a form of regular briefcase. And this briefcase of automated external defibrillators contains electrodes, control unit (almost in all cases computer operated) and power unit needed for autonomous work of the device. As long as electrodes of automated external defibrillators are attached to the patient's body they start to work.
These devices measure electrocardiogram of the patient to determine whether defibrillation is needed. If any problem is present a device starts the procedure of defibrillation. For the moment two different types of automated external defibrillators are available - semi automatic and fully automatic devices. Semi automatic external defibrillator tells the user of the device to stand clear and after that user needs to push a button to make a discharge. On the other hand, fully automatic automated external defibrillators only inform the user to stand clear and perform the discharge automatically.