Good to hear that you have got some new knowledge about AEDs and how to use them. In Singapore its a good idea to get a certified course, such as by the National Resuscitation Council or the American Heart Association. Well AEDs are supposedly dummy proof, but a certified training (by certified trainers of course!) will most definitely further enhance the learning experience. I’ve used AEDs many, many times before, that’s why I’m a strong believer of good quality training!

Regarding the checking for pulse and breathing, there were some uncertainties for laypersons CPR when the guidelines were just released in 2006. But since we just so recently got audited and managed to speak about this to the Chairman of the National Resuscitation Council, we’ve verified that there is no need to check for pulse. This is because in many cases where pulse was absent, rescuers had mistakenly felt a pulse. As a result CPR was not done. So because the scenario where pulse is present, but breathing is absent is rare or hard to detect in a layperson setting, and because of the layperson’s difficulty of getting a pulse, the checking of pulse for laypersons has been removed from the steps of CPR. So the steps are something like

1) Check Danger
2) Check Response and call for ambulance / AED
3) Check Breathing – give 2 breaths if absent
4) Start CPR – alternate 30 compressions to 2 breaths

Stop when victim starts breathing normally or ambulance arrives, or when the AED is being used on the victim.

Hope this info helps.

BTW, you’ve got a great blog!

–
Abdul Rasheed Doad,
Training Director, Singapore First Aid Training Centre