Congratulations on considering purchasing an AED for your home, school, workplace, or any other location. An AED can increase the survival rate to 50-70% in victims of sudden cardiac arrest and they are truly a life saving device.

Here are a few considerations for you…

Where will your AED be used?

If you are buying for home, work or school, the AED you will be looking to buy may be very different from an AED used for outside areas.

You would need to consider if the AED will be kept stationary inside, contained in a wall mounted cabinet, or if it will be carried around boating, camping, hiking, etc. A more portable, hard wearing one would be suited to outside use.

We recommend mounting the AED on the wall so it is visible in case of an emergency. There is no point in having an AED hidden away so it cannot be found.

Available Training Options?

Another thing to take into consideration when buying an AED is whether you will have access to training for your unit.

While AEDs are designed to be easy to use for everyone, having a training session to learn how to properly use the AED will go a long way. In the case of an emergency, having completed a training session with your AED will ensure you are more familiar with your unit and can use it more confidently and accurately.

The Brand?

There are many different brands of AEDs on the market.

While it may be tempting to purchase a cheaper, no-name brand of AED, you are risking the chance that your AED may not be as high in quality as others on the market. Or if the manufacturer closed or was hard to communicate with, you may not be able to source batteries, pads, replacement parts or accessories for your AED.

The most recognised brands of AEDs in Australia – HeartSine, Cardiac Science, Physio Control, Zoll, Laerdal (Phillips) and DefibTek – are well known and reliable. Consider how easy it will be to get service in the event that something goes wrong with your AED unit or if you wish to purchase further products through them.

Support & Warranty?

Tying into the above two points, you should consider if the company you are buying your AED from is reliable and easy to communicate with.

AED warranties can range from between 5–10 years, depending on the unit. You would also need to research how long the battery of your AED lasts for.   

Inclusions?

Does the AED unit you are purchasing come by itself, or with included accessories? Or are the accessories sold separately?

Sometimes it may be better to buy the accessories separately, as you have the opportunity then to purchase only the extras that you are interested in/would suit your requirements.

Ease of use?

For ease of use for your AED, you should consider:

o   Does the AED have verbal/visual prompts to follow?

o   Does the AED give you feedback on your CPR compressions?

o   Does the AED have a paediatric mode/paediatric pads?

o   Does the AED have easy to follow diagrams and instructions?

o   Is the layout of the AED suitable? E.g., size, location of the on/off and shock buttons?

o   Are the pads pre-connected or will you have to attach the pads immediately before use?

o   Is your AED semiautomatic or automatic? Or does it have both settings? (Semiautomatics require that a button be pushed when prompted to deliver the shock. Automatics deliver the shock automatically.)

How much will an AED cost me?

Most AEDs on the market in Australia retail for between $2000 – $3500.

One thing to consider when buying an AED is how much replaceable pads and batteries cost, as well as accessories for your AED such as wall cabinets, signage, prep kits, etc.

Where can I buy an AED?

Allens Training Pty Ltd is an Australian company that sells AEDs and accessories, as well as various other first aid equipment and supplies.

You can view our First Aid Online Shop

If you have any questions about the AEDs we sell, please get in touch with our friendly team.

Allens Training on the Sunshine Coast run regular first aid and CPR courses in our Birtinya Training Centre. These courses all cover the operation of an AED as well as a range of other topics. To book into your next First Aid or CPR Training Course on the Sunshine Coast you can book online or phone 07 5438 8888.