An Automated External Defibrillator, commonly known as an AED, is a portable lifesaving device used when someone is experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It checks the person’s heart rhythm and, if needed, delivers an electric shock to help the heart return to a normal rhythm.

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AEDs are designed to be simple to use. They provide clear voice and visual instructions that guide you through each step, even if you have never used one before.

During cardiac arrest, every second matters. CPR helps keep blood and oxygen moving through the body, but an AED can help restart the heart’s normal rhythm when a shock is needed.

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When CPR is performed and an AED is used in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, the person’s chance of survival can double.

An AED is used when someone suddenly collapses, is unresponsive, and is not breathing normally.

 

These are signs of sudden cardiac arrest, a medical emergency where the heart has stopped pumping blood effectively to the brain and body.

If someone collapses and is not breathing normally:

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Call 911.
Start CPR.
Send someone to get the nearest AED.
Use the AED as soon as it arrives.
Continue following the AED’s instructions until paramedics arrive.

You do not need to be a medical professional to use an AED.

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AEDs are designed to guide you through the process with clear voice and visual instructions. Once the device is turned on, it will tell you exactly what to do, including where to place the pads on the person’s bare chest. The AED will then check the person’s heart rhythm and will only deliver a shock if one is needed.

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While AED models may look different, they all work in a similar way: turn the device on, follow the prompts, place the pads as shown, and continue CPR until emergency responders arrive.

Bystanders who attempt CPR or use an AED in an emergency are protected under Ontario’s Good Samaritan Act and the Chase McEachern Act.

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AEDs are designed to help, not harm. The device will only deliver a shock if it detects a heart rhythm that requires one.

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In other words: you can’t hurt, you can only help.

An AED can only help if people know where to find it. That is why AED registration is so important.

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The AED Foundation of Ontario is Ontario’s official AED Registrar. Through the provincial AED registry, publicly accessible AEDs can be registered so their location information can support 911 integration. In a cardiac emergency, this helps dispatchers direct bystanders to the nearest available AED when every second counts.

Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Having AEDs that are visible, accessible, maintained, and registered helps build safer, more prepared communities across Ontario.

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Knowing where AEDs are, and feeling confident enough to use one, can help save a life.