What is a Defibrillator?

A defibrillator is a unique piece of equipment, as it is a machine that can restart the heart by sending an electric shock in some cases of cardiac arrest.

These machines are usually perceived to be external devices, but they can exist in a number of different forms such as they can be implanted (where they are known as implantable cardioverter-defibrillator or ICD), they can even be transvenous. There are certain external units (called automated external defibrillators, or AEDs) that can automatically diagnose the rhythm of the heart and tell you if it’s treatable by shock, which means that bystanders with little to no medical training are able to operate these defibrillators and will be able to use them successfully. AEDs are commonly found in densely populated areas such as town centres, train or bus stations, offices, airports, hotels, stadiums and schools.