Monday, June 8, 2015

Automatic External Defibrillator

An announcement was made today that a defibrillator is installed on each floor of the building I work in.

The AED "Automatic External Defibrillator" can apparently be used by non-medically trained personnel if someone is going into cardiac arrest.

I would imagine it's fairly easy for someone who is not trained in medical treatment to use. I couldn't really see inside the case hanging on the wall but I'm imagine the instructions read something like this: "Step 1: Put the little pads on the patient's chest. Step 2: Make sure you're not standing in a puddle or holding your cell phone so it doesn't interrupt your Wi-Fi signal. Step 3: Scream in terror. Step 4: Press button to administer shock."

I began wondering what having this installed means. Is it because there is concern that one or more employees is in danger of having a heart attack? Is it meant to reduce some sort of insurance premium the company pays? Could it be used like a tazer if someone becomes unruly? And the most important question, why is the word defibrillator so damned difficult to spell?

I suppose it is better that they are available just in case. The old "better safe than sorry" trick rarely has a downside.

AED Automatic External Defibrillator
May not be used to grill meat
or melt cheese.