Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is the most common cause of out-of-hospital death in the Western world. An acute and unexpected malfunction of the heart causes SCA. The heart stops pumping blood, and the person loses consciousness and stops breathing. Without immediate treatment with early defibrillation, their chances of survival are meagre.
Emergency services usually arrive too late to administer life-saving techniques, so early defibrillation by people already at the scene can be life-saving.
What is an AED?
Maybe you have an automated external defibrillator (AED) at your office or have seen one in a public space. An AED is an advanced medical device that can be used to save the life of someone having SCA.
Although sophisticated, they’re easy to use – and you don’t need any training. An AED works by analysing the rhythm of the patient’s heart. If there’s a problem, it can deliver an electric shock (defibrillation) to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.
Early defibrillation is a vital link in the chain of survival. This needs to be done within three to five minutes after the collapse. After 10 minutes, there is no realistic chance of survival. Therefore, it’s so essential for organisations and facilities to adopt an AED.
What are the benefits of having a connected Ventria AED?
If an organisation is equipped with a Ventria AED, anyone can help save a life if an incident occurs. Ventria Smart Heart solutions allow first responders to be confident the AED is rescue-ready and trust the technology will deliver that for which it has been designed.
Our unique Internet of Things (IoT) solution plugs into the AED and allows us to have remote visibility, 24/7, of all our AEDs anywhere in the world; through this we can proactively service the AED, ensuring it’s ready if required. It also connects us to first responders and even emergency medical services.
On removal of the AED, all trained first aiders will get an alert notifying them that one of their AEDs has been removed from the Safebox (unique storage solution); this starts the chain of survival. Furthermore, if the AED is used, the Ventria service department will get the alert and will dispatch service to ensure your AED is up and ready for use.
What goes into owning an AED?
Being prepared for an SCA incident is about more than having an AED on the wall. You need to know your AED is accessible, that it works reliably, and that it has not been tampered with.
Keeping track of critical areas will help to keep AEDs ready. These include battery and electronic function, condition of electrode pads, the physical condition of the AED, the lifecycle/age of the AED, and tools that can track and manage all the details.
We take all this responsibility off your hands; the IoT monitoring tool comes ready and installed inside the carrying case of the AED. It is wireless, connects over mobile networks and contains its own power source. This automatically monitors the status of the AED every day, notifying Ventria when an error occurs and ensuring all defibrillators are under control – in a building, public areas, farms and worldwide.
A unique programme
Ventria Solutions are smart, and cost-effective and allow you to be confident, connected and carefree when it comes to having a rescue-ready AED at your disposal. It is as simple and seamless as possible, thanks to a carefree service subscription plan featuring innovative solutions that provide peace of mind and confidence to AED owners and first responders.