Question

You are the athletic trainer assigned to your high school's football game. while covering a kickoff return, one of your players attempts to tackle the ball carrier. you see him lower his head, drive the top of his helmet into the ball carrier's numbers, and then fall to the ground, where he lies motionless. while you are administering CPR, the AED arrives at your side. how will you integrate the AED into emergency care currently being provided?

a.) continue CPR until the AED pads are in place and the machine is ready to analyze the athlete's heart rhythm
b.) continue CPR until the AED indicates the need for a shock
c.) immediately discontinue CPR, apply the AED pads, and permit the machine to analyze the patient's heart rhythm
d.) complete your current five cycles of compressions and breaths, then discontinue CPR and apply AED pads to the athlete and permit the machine to analyze the patient's heart rhythm
e.) complete 30 more chest compressions and administer two more breaths, then discontinue CPR and apply AED pads to the athlete and permit the machine to analyze the athlete's heart rhythm

Answer 1

To use an AED during cardiac resuscitation, continue CPR until AED pads are applied and ready; the AED will then provide instructions on whether a shock is needed.

Step-by-step explanation:

When integrating an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) into the emergency care of a football player who appears to be in cardiac arrest, the correct action is to continue CPR until the AED pads are in place and the machine is ready to analyze the athlete's heart rhythm. Once the AED is set up, it will advise whether a shock is necessary based on its automatic analysis of the patient's heart condition. If a shock is required, the AED will charge to the appropriate energy level and indicate when to administer the shock. CPR is crucial as a life-saving intervention and is recommended before using a defibrillator to manually compress the blood within the heart, thus maintaining blood flow especially to the brain to avoid irreversible damage.