New & Used External Defibrillator

Tips for buying External Defibrillator

1. The recommendations for this device have been divided into two categories: basic and advanced. These two groups vary in the features they offer and the situations in which they will be used.
2. A basic defibrillator is used mainly as a crash-cart unit to provide defibrillation therapy. It does not need an extensive monitoring capability; advisory/automated external defibrillator capability can allow use by personnel trained in basic life support.
3. An advanced defibrillator will be operated especially by personnel trained in advanced cardiac life support.
4. When adding external pacing and advanced monitoring capabilities, these devices become suitable for intra and inter-hospital transport applications and emergency medical services paramedic use on top of their crash cart applications.
5. To meet specific needs of a facility, some combinations of features can be configured in many units. Many defibrillator/monitors on the market provide comparable capabilities and functionality.
6. When selecting the right unit, facilities should consider user preference and standardization issues. When standardizing on a model or a manufacturer, users simplify the purchasing process and clinician training, and gain the ability to negotiate for a discount.
7. Most units on the market employ a biphasic waveform, which are strongly recommended over the monophasic ones. Clinical evidence supports the superiority of the biphasic waveform.
8. Devices designed for adult defibrillation should have energy settings of 50-360 J.
9. Devices capable of internal or pediatric defibrillation or synchronized cardio version should have energy settings of 5-50 J.
10. Devices for neonatal applications should have additional low-energy settings of 1-20 J.
11. Units should be able to charge to maximum energy in less than 15 seconds over the full range of battery-charge indicator levels.
12. The unit should automatically disarm within two minutes if not intentionally discharged.
13. Units should have the option of running on battery power. Line powered units will not disarm when the line cord is unplugged or when line power is otherwise interrupted.
14. The monitor should display a clear and distinct marker to indicate the synchronization point on the ECG waveform.
15. The defibrillator's ECG input amplifiers should be protected against damage from discharge energy.
16. The display should recover a readable ECG trace within five seconds of an input overload from a maximum-energy defibrillator pulse.
17. The unit should include a recorder, and the recorded strip should include periodic annotations.
18. All units should include low-battery alarms to provide an adequate warning that the battery is low.
19. While the batteries are charged, the unit should provide an indication, as well as when they have reached full charge. The charge time should not exceed 24 hours. Batteries should be easily available and should not need frequent replacement.
20. The pacemaker should have a pulse duration within 10% of the specified value.
21. The output current should be selectable by constant, calibrated control or at small incremental levels to assist in delivering the minimum output current that achieves capture.
22. A clear indicator should appear on the ECG waveform showing the occurrence of each delivered pacing pulse.
23. The pacing pulse must be suppressed on the ECG waveform display to enable patient monitoring during the pacing procedure.