Using a DefibrillatorWhat an AED does, and why anyone can use one.Body & healthAutomated external defibrillators are designed for untrained bystanders.1Send someone for itContinue CPR while it is fetched. Do not stop to go yourself ifothers are present.2Turn it onIt gives spoken instructions from that moment.3Attach the padsBare chest. The pads show where they go — upper right, lowerleft.4Stand clear while it analysesIt decides whether a shock is appropriate. You cannot override it.5Shock if told, then resume CPRImmediately, without waiting to reassess.SPECIAL CASESWet chest — dry it firstExcess hair — shave if a razor is includedPacemaker — place pads clear of the lumpPatches — remove and wipeEducational reference. An AED will not deliver a shock to someone whodoes not need one — using it cannot harm them.Using a Defibrillatorlearnposters.com
Using a Defibrillator — printable health wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

Using a Defibrillator, step by step

Automated external defibrillators are designed for untrained bystanders.

  1. Send someone for itContinue CPR while it is fetched. Do not stop to go yourself if others are present.
  2. Turn it onIt gives spoken instructions from that moment.
  3. Attach the padsBare chest. The pads show where they go — upper right, lower left.
  4. Stand clear while it analysesIt decides whether a shock is appropriate. You cannot override it.
  5. Shock if told, then resume CPRImmediately, without waiting to reassess.

Special cases

  • Wet chest — dry it first
  • Excess hair — shave if a razor is included
  • Pacemaker — place pads clear of the lump
  • Patches — remove and wipe

Educational reference. An AED will not deliver a shock to someone who does not need one — using it cannot harm them.

Questions about the Using a Defibrillator poster

What’s on the Using a Defibrillator poster?
5 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. Automated external defibrillators are designed for untrained bystanders. Send someone for it — Continue CPR while it is fetched. Do not stop to go yourself if…; Turn it on — It gives spoken instructions from that moment.; Attach the pads — Bare chest. The pads show where they go — upper right, lower left.; Stand clear while it analyses — It decides whether a shock is appropriate. You cannot…; Shock if told, then resume CPR — Immediately, without waiting to reassess.. Educational reference. An AED will not deliver a shock to someone who does not need one — using it cannot harm them.
Who is the Using a Defibrillator poster for?
Using a Defibrillator belongs to the Body & health section rather than to a school year, because health is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning first aid can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Using a Defibrillator poster?
It talks you through it and will not shock a heart that does not need shocking. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Using a Defibrillator belongs on the wall where that health work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Using a Defibrillator?
Anaphylaxis, Bleeding & Burns and Burn Depth sit alongside Using a Defibrillator in the Body & health section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.AnaphylaxisBleeding & BurnsBurn Depth
Is the Using a Defibrillator poster free to download and print?
Yes. Using a Defibrillator downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Body & health section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Using a Defibrillator poster print at?
Using a Defibrillator is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Using a Defibrillator loses nothing.Printing guide

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