Early emergency treatment can mean the difference between survival and death when someone has a heart attack. While it's important to call 911 immediately when someone in your office collapses, starting CPR and using a defibrillator when necessary could save the person's life by starting treatment before the ambulance arrives. Here are some things to know about having a portable defibrillator in your office building.

Train Your Staff In CPR And Defibrillator Use

A defibrillator alone isn't as much help as when it's used along with CPR. If you plan to buy a defibrillator for your office, then you should ask for volunteers to learn CPR and how to operate the machine. This information will be useful for your employees in other situations since a family member could have a heart attack at home. Knowing how to do CPR effectively is a life-saving skill everyone should know. Using a portable defibrillator isn't difficult, but it's important to understand how to use it so it's effective and so your employee isn't harmed in the process.

Follow The Audible Prompts From The Device

A portable AED defibrillator is small, easy to carry, and easy to use. When it's needed, all you do is remove it from the case and turn it on. Then pull the pads out of the storage tray and apply them to the person's bare skin on the chest. There is a diagram on the pads or unit that shows exactly where to place them after peeling off the layer that covers the adhesive. Next, wait for instructions from the device. If a shock is needed, the machine will tell you to press the shock button, but a shock is only needed for certain types of heart rhythms. If you don't need to deliver a shock, the machine will tell you if you need to start CPR, and if so, it monitors the depth of your compressions and the rate you do them, and coaches you to alter your technique so your CPR is most effective.

Keep The Defibrillator Maintained

Having a defibrillator in your office building could be a good idea even though you may hope you never have to use it because it could save the life of one of your employees. When you purchase the defibrillator, get a service contract, too, so the unit is inspected and serviced regularly so it works as it should in an emergency. Always keep the unit mounted in the same place on a wall where it can be grabbed quickly. Then, once it's been used, put new pads on it immediately and call for more replacement pads if you use the last set so there is always a set in reserve.