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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · CPR and Resuscitation

AED

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/ˌeɪ iː ˈdiː/abbreviationCore term

In emergency medicine & first aid, AED means: Short for automated external defibrillator: a portable device that checks the heart rhythm through pads on the chest and gives an electric shock if one is needed.

In Turkish: OED, otomatik eksternal defibrilatör, şok cihazı

How it is used

Found in airports, shopping centres, gyms and offices, often under a green sign showing a heart and a lightning bolt. You fetch, attach or use an AED; it gives spoken instructions, analyses the rhythm and says whether a shock is advised. In the UK it is often just called a defibrillator or 'defib'.

Example sentences

  1. Someone get the AED from reception!

  2. The AED advised a shock, and he started breathing after the second one.

Common collocations

  • fetch an AED
  • attach the AED pads
  • public access AED
  • nearest AED
  • defibrillatorA machine that gives a controlled electric shock to the heart to stop a dangerous, chaotic rhythm and let a normal rhythm return.
  • CPRShort for cardiopulmonary resuscitation: chest compressions, often with rescue breaths, given to someone whose heart has stopped, to keep blood and oxygen moving to the brain.
  • cardiac arrestA sudden stop in the heart's effective pumping, so that blood no longer reaches the brain and the person collapses and stops breathing normally.
  • chain of survivalA series of linked steps that give a person in cardiac arrest the best chance of living: early call for help, early CPR, early defibrillation and good care afterwards.

More terms: CPR and Resuscitation

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.