What is a defibrillator paddle?

An internal defibrillator is often used to defibrillate the heart during or after cardiac surgery such as a heart bypass. The electrodes consist of round metal plates that come in direct contact with the myocardium. Manual internal defibrillators deliver the shock through paddles placed directly on the heart.

What types of electrodes are used in a defibrillator?

Many types of electrodes are available including hand-held paddles, internal paddles, and self-adhesive disposable electrodes. In general, disposable electrodes are preferred in emergency settings because they increase the speed of shock and improve defibrillation technique.

What are defibrillator paddles used for?

After someone suffers sudden cardiac arrest, healthcare providers grab the paddles and deliver an electric shock to the patient to help restore a normal heart rhythm. Technology has given us the automated external defibrillator (AED). This is a small, lightweight, battery operated, portable defibrillator.

Can you use paddles on someone with a defibrillator?

Initial defibrillation: Apply gel defibrillation pads (orange) to chest and administer the initial shock using the defibrillation paddles (this can facilitate quicker delivery of shock).

Where do the electrodes go on a defibrillator?

The pads should be placed on the anterior (front) of the chest, one of them goes above the right nipple, and the other is placed onto the left side of the chest, just below the chest area. The only exception to this comes into play when pediatrics are in use.

When should you not use AED?

Do not use an AED when there is water present or the victim is wet. Electricity will take the path of least resistance, so if there is water on the chest then the shock will travel through the water instead of the heart muscle. No one should touch the victim during delivery of the electrical shock by an AED.

Where do you put paddles of defibrillator?

Place one pad on the right side of the chest, just below the collarbone. Place the other pad on the lower left side of the chest. Connect the pads to the AED. Some pads come pre-connected to the AED.

Where do defibrillator paddles go?

PAD/PADDLE PLACEMENT According to the ILCOR guidelines, the sternal paddle should be placed ‘just to the right of the upper sternal border below the clavicle’ and the apical paddle ‘to the left of the nipple with the centre of the electrode in the mid-axillary line’.

Can you use AED on pacemaker?

Can you use a defibrillator on a person with a pacemaker? Yes. The important thing to do is make sure in this case that the pads (electrodes) do not come into contact with pacemaker. The upside of this is that the device will be visible and usually located on the upper left side of the persons chest.

Where do you place a defibrillator paddle?

When treating an adult with a permanent pacemaker or an ICD, the defibrillator paddle/pad should be placed on the chest wall ideally at least 8 cm from the generator position. The anterior-posterior and anterior-lateral paddle/pad placements on the chest are acceptable in patients with a permanent pacemaker or ICD.

What is one reason that the AED would say check electrodes?

If the victim has a hairy chest, the adhesive electrode pads may stick to the hair on the chest, preventing effective contact with the skin of the chest and causing transthoracic impedance to be high,147 leading to a “check electrodes” or “check electrode pads” message from the AED.