HeartSafe Maintenance
Order your replacement electrode pads, batteries and consumables here
Maintenance Costs and Replacement of Consumables
Once the cabinet and AED have been installed, running costs are minimal. The cabinet requires a minuscule amount of electricity to power the internal light (which is only activated when the cabinet door is opened), thermostat and heater (to control the temperature of the interior cabinet in cold weather). The cabinet needs a 240V mains electrical supply to run the thermostat, heater and lighting; this is estimated at a few pounds per year. The premises owner should be informed of this cost when the placement of the cabinet is being evaluated.
AEDs have consumable components that will need replacing periodically or when they have been used. The frequency and cost of these varies depending on the make and model of AED.
- The battery life of most AEDs generally lasts between three and five years, or for a certain number of deployments.
- The electrode pads generally have a shelf life of two to three years at which point they will need to be replaced even if they have not been used.
You will need to identify who will cover the cost of replacing the consumable components (battery and pads) on their expiry.
If the pads are used on a patient, then your Ambulance Service may be willing to replace the pads but you will need to confirm this with them.
Should you need to replace the battery or electrode pads within the HeartSine range of AEDs, please contact us and we will be happy to supply these components to you.
What Happens When an AED is Used?
An AED when deployed has an internal memory showing an ECG of the patient and a recording of the event/incident. It has playback capabilities with a custom USB cable directly connected to PC and Windows-based data review software.
- If your defibrillator is deployed and activated, it will be necessary to follow the manufacturer’s instructions in order that the defibrillator is recommissioned for further use. The advice may vary as per the different manufacturers defibrillator requirements. If you own or have used a HeartSine defibrillator, please click on one of the following HeartSine defibrillator model user guides to follow the recommended procedure.
HeartSine AED Product Manuals
HeartSine samaritan PAD 350P/360P/500P User Manual (UK) – H032-019-500-AG, 05/2023
HeartSine Pad-Pak and Pediatric-Pak Set-up (Multilingual) – H017-013-363-AF, 03/2023
Maintenance Supplement (Multilingual) – M0000019001-AA, 03/2024
HeartSine Gateway Product Manuals
HeartSine Gateway User Manual (UK) – H052-019-300-AE, 11/2023
HeartSine Gateway Set-up (Multilingual) – H052-019-200-AE, 11/2023
HeartSine Trainer Product Manuals
HeartSine samaritan PAD 350P/360P/500P Trainer User Manual (UK) – M0000005801, 10/2022
HeartSine Trainer-Pak User Guide (UK) – H009-015-008-1, 04/2020
HeartSine Trainer Compliance w/Directive 2014/53/EU (Multilingual) – H001-011-032-AC, 08/2022
- If the AED is taken to the scene of an incident but is not required, it should be returned to the cabinet either by the user or the Ambulance Service.
- If the AED is required, either the Ambulance Service may take the AED with the patient to hospital or a representative of the Ambulance Service visits the incident and collects the AED from the persons involved with the incident or from the Ambulance crew or hospital. The HeartSine range of defibrillators have a 90 minute memory. When switched on and used, the defibrillator records the event. This information may be required by the Ambulance Service or hospital. Please refer to the HeartSine user manuals above for further information.
- As part of the HeartSafe® defibrillator package, a deployment log is provided as part of the accessories to assist you to record a log of information of when the AED is used.
NHS Insurance Cover when an AED is Deployed under Instructions from the Emergency Services
The Chew Valley initiative, which commenced in 2007 in the Chew Valley region of North Somerset, was supported by the Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (GWAS). GWAS arranged with their insurers that the user deploying an AED from a cabinet anywhere in the region (i.e. Bristol, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire) is insured as he/she was acting as a “good Samaritan” under the Ambulance Service’s instruction as no other help from a trained professional is available.
The Ambulance Services recognise that early deployment of an AED combined with CPR when Sudden Cardiac Arrest occurs, is the only way of increasing the patient’s chances of survivial from under 5% to 50%. Therefore it is important to liaise with your local Ambulance Service to seek their support and help with your project from the outset, including advice regarding insurance cover.
Please click here should you wish to contact us for advice regarding the AED project in your community.
What type of ambulance response time will be given
The most serious life-threatening calls made to the Ambulance Service are dealt with first. Because of this, the Ambulance Trust prioritise calls into nationally-agreed categories. Please refer to your local Ambulance Trust website for information on response times and emergency procedures.
The Emergency Services will always do their best to arrive at an incident in the shortest possible time. However, if the incident occurs at a busy part of the day or weekend or weather and/or traffic problems delay the paramedics arriving within the 8-minute response time, the only way of helping to prevent a life being lost is to follow the chain of survival without delay and administer to the patient good quality CPR and use an AED.