A defibrillator is a medical device which is used to jolt a heart which is beating erratically and not delivering blood to the body. The defibrillator stops the heart from beating thus allowing the heart to regain control over itself. There are three types of defibrillators, two are used on the surface of the body and one is surgically implanted in the body. In the case of external units, people will often opt for a refurbished AED as it will save money and still provide excellent performance.
A refurbished AED will often come from an organization which is upgrading its AED program. Once they have been traded in for a different machine, they are completely refurbished including the electrodes and batteries, they are then warranted. In many cases the AEDs that are used as trade-in have never been used and are in perfect condition. The entire return and refurbishment program allows more and more people and organizations to be better prepared in the event of an emergency.
There are two types of external defibrillators, both of which work when electrodes are placed on the chest of the victim of cardiac arrest. Once the pads are in place, the operator simply pushes a button and the machine delivers the shock.
There are two types of external defibrillators, monophasic and biphasic. A monophasic device sends a single pulse of electricity from one pad to the other, as the heart is in between, it gets the jolt. This device requires quite high levels of electricity to work correctly.
The biphasic defibrillator sends out two pulses, one from each electrode. The current travels between the pads where it changes direction. The amount of electricity used is less than the monophasic device and is better suited to adapt to the victim’s body.
As the biphasic device uses less power, these devices are often changed for the less efficient monophasic design. These devices become a refurbished AED and resold at an attractive price.
The third type of defibrillator cannot be refurbished as it is surgically implanted in a patient’s body. The electrodes are imbedded into the hearts chamber, the defibrillator then constantly monitors the heart for any irregularities in the beat, if it senses a missed beat; it jolts the heart back to normal.