The Preeceville Hospital Auxiliary continues to improve lives with the recent donation of an automated external defibrillator (AED) to the Preeceville and District Health Centre.
"The auxiliary felt it necessary that the health centre be equipped with an AED in a building which employs many people and has many visitors," said Elaine Christopherson, president of the auxiliary. "There is not always a Registered Nurse (RN) on duty to use the larger monitor defibrillator machine at the hospital. Anyone is capable of using one with following the simple instructions on the machine," she said.
It is located in a central location on the wall across from the nurses鈥� stations on the long term side.
An听automated external defibrillator听(AED) is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening听听听of听听(VF) and听, and is able to treat them through听, the application of electricity which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm, according to online information.
With simple audio and visual commands, AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layperson, and the use of AEDs is taught in many听,听, and听听(BLS) level听听(CPR) classes.
The portable version of the defibrillator was invented in the mid-1960s by听听in听,听.
