A defibrillator is not going to run correctly unless the defibrillator battery is working. A defibrillator battery creates the charge of energy that travels through the rest of the defibrillator to jumpstart the heart. Without an energy source, the defibrillator simply won't work.
Battery Interaction
Defibrillator batteries are used in both internal and external defibrillators. In an internal defibrillator, or defibrillator implant, the entire defibrillator is placed in the person's chest. The battery in a defibrillator implant sends a charge through an electrode wire. The electrode wire is actually placed in a vein in the heart's chamber. This allows it to deliver the shock immediately when it detects and irregular heartbeat. Defibrillator implants are only placed in people who have serious heart conditions.
The other type of defibrillator is called an external defibrillator. This device is used by emergency technicians when a patient is going through cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest occurs when the heartbeat becomes extremely irregular (usually it speeds up) and prevents the heart from delivering blood and oxygen to vital organs.
An external defibrillator battery is connected to two pads. These pads are the size of a man's hand. They are placed on a person's chest. The battery is housed in a carrying unit. When it's needed, it sends the charge through the pad chords to the pads. After the shock, the person should make some kind of movement between 10 and 12 seconds.
Keeping Your Battery Charged
Anything that's battery operated requires a well maintained battery. Your remote control won't work if the batteries are dead and neither will your defibrillator. If you're getting a defibrillator implant, make sure you go over the battery function with your doctor. Your doctor will program the implant to beep when the battery is running out of power. You'll also be expected to have a check up every three months to make sure the battery is working correctly.
When your defibrillator battery is ready to be charged, you'll use some kind of external charger to juice it up. External defibrillators are also charged through some sort of external source. These batteries generally have a shelf life of four years. Though these defibrillator batteries last for a while, they will need to be replaced at some point.
Disposing of the Battery
As people have become more environmentally conscious, defibrillator providers have started to offer battery-recycling services. For example, the AED Superstore will recycle defibrillator batteries. All you have to do is discharge the batteries and ship them to the company.
You do not have to recycle your defibrillator battery, but it is an environmentally friendly gesture and it's not expensive. All you have to pay for is the shipping costs to send your defibrillator battery to the superstore.
