Editing Automated external defibrillator (section)

{{short description|Portable electronic medical device}}
{{infobox medical equipment
| name = Automated external defibrillator
| acronym = AED
| synonym = defibrillator, defib
| image = Modern AED Automated external defibrillator.png
| caption = 
| alt = ViVest X1 Defibrillator (AED), charged and ready for use.
| image_size = 
| specialty = [[Cardiology]]
| intervention = 
| MedlinePlus = 
| eMedicine = 
| inventor = [[Frank Pantridge]]
| invention date = 
| manufacturer = 
| related = [[defibrillation#Types|Manual defibrillator]]
}}
An '''automated external defibrillator''' ('''AED''')  is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening [[cardiac]] [[Heart arrhythmia|arrhythmia]]s of [[ventricular fibrillation]] (VF) and [[pulseless ventricular tachycardia]],<ref name=AHA1>{{cite journal|title=Automatic External Defibrillators for Public Access Defibrillation|last=Kerber|first=Richard E |author2=Becker, Lance B |author3=Bourland, Joseph D |author4=Cummins, Richard O |author5=Hallstrom, Alfred P |author6=Michos, Mary B |author7=Nichol, Graham |author8=Ornato, Joseph P |author9=Thies, William H |author10=White, Roger D |author11=Zuckerman, Bram D |date= March 18, 1997 |volume=95|issue=1677–1682|journal=Circulation|publisher=American Heart Association|pmid=9118556|pages=1677–82| doi=10.1161/01.cir.95.6.1677}}</ref> and is able to treat them through [[defibrillation]], the application of electricity which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm.

With simple audio and visual commands, AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layperson, and the use of AEDs is taught in many [[first aid]], [[certified first responder]], and [[basic life support]] (BLS) level [[cardiopulmonary resuscitation]] (CPR) classes.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=American Red Cross|url=http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/adultcpraed.html|access-date=2007-06-28|title=CPR Adult Courses| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070703221912/http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/adultcpraed.html| archive-date= 3 July 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

The portable version of the defibrillator was invented in the mid-1960s by [[Frank Pantridge]] in [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]] and the first automatic, public-use defibrillator was produced by the Cardiac Resuscitation Company in the late 1970s. The unit was launched under the name Heart-Aid.<ref name="Heart-Aid Defibrillator">{{Cite web|title=Heart-Aid Defibrillator|url=https://emsmuseum.org/collections/archives/defibrillators/heartaid/|access-date=2021-07-13|website=EMS Museum|language=en-US}}</ref>