Its probably much better to have a shaved chest, but lets be realistic. In a situation where CPR and an AED are being used, 1. you probably arent going to have a razor handy 2. the sub-optimal contact with the skin is the least of you (or the patient’s) worries.
It’s only an issue on very hairy chests – i.e. full “bearskin rug” where you need to place the pads. There are patients that have so much hair the pads aren’t even touching skin.
In which case you absolutely need to remove the hair. A slightly delayed initial defibrillation is better than multiple ineffective ones. Most AED kits should have a spare set of pads (“wax the chest” with the first set) or a disposable razor.
Its probably much better to have a shaved chest, but lets be realistic. In a situation where CPR and an AED are being used, 1. you probably arent going to have a razor handy 2. the sub-optimal contact with the skin is the least of you (or the patient’s) worries.
I took a course a couple of years agao and I believe they said the AEDs come with a razor
Can confirm. Almost all defibrillators come with a pack of additional supplies - including a dry razor
They also teach now to use the provided additional set of pads to basically wax the chest.
It’s only an issue on very hairy chests – i.e. full “bearskin rug” where you need to place the pads. There are patients that have so much hair the pads aren’t even touching skin.
In which case you absolutely need to remove the hair. A slightly delayed initial defibrillation is better than multiple ineffective ones. Most AED kits should have a spare set of pads (“wax the chest” with the first set) or a disposable razor.