CAE Athena - Defibrillation and Cardioversion

Using Athena
164
CAEAthena
PN: 905K520652 v2.8
Defibrillation and Cardioversion
The female manikin is designed to safely absorb the energy discharged from manual and automatic
defibrillators. Standard defibrillation energy levels should be used for positive learning reinforcement
and to avoid negative training transfer.
However, use of a defibrillator for training purposes represents an operational hazard equivalent to
use of a defibrillator on a real patient. Consequently, ALL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS for the use of
defibrillators MUST BE FOLLOWED as if the simulator were a patient. Consult the specific
defibrillator’s User Manual for further information.
The following cautions should be observed:
• Manikin should be isolated and NOT plugged into electrical power when using
defibrillation
• Defibrillation should be performed on the defibrillation electrodes only. If defibrillation
is performed over any ECG electrode, high voltage may be present on the remaining
connectors during the shock. This may also damage ECG circuitry. Avoid touching any
nearby ECG posts.
• To prevent overheating, DO NOT provide more than three (3) defibrillation discharges in
a sequence per minute during the training session (maximum 200 joules with biphasic
defibrillation and 360 joules with a monophasic defibrillation). Avoid a large number of
consecutive discharges as may damage the simulator. Leave at least 30 minutes
recovery period after a sequence of more than nine consecutive discharges.
• Do NOT provide more than nine consecutive discharges over three minutes without
recovering for 30 minutes before the next discharge as it may damage the simulator
• Do NOT let the simulator come in contact with electrically conductive surfaces or objects
during defibrillation. A flame-supporting atmosphere, for example, with a high content
of oxygen, should be avoided during defibrillation.
• Keep the simulator’s chest dry. Special attention should be taken when using the urinary
system features
• To prevent pitting of the chest skin electrode, do NOT apply conductive gel or conductive
defibrillation pads intended for patient use
• Do NOT use cables or connectors having visible damage
• Do NOT spill fluids over any component inside the simulator torso. This could damage
the system and may also present a possible hazard for the operator.
• When using a manual defibrillator, the ECG can be monitored via the defibrillator
paddles. Coarse ventricular fibrillation and high-rate ventricular tachycardia cardiac
rhythms are automatically recognized as “shockable” rhythms.
• With each defibrillation, the simulator automatically records the amount of energy
discharged and the time defibrillation was performed. The simulated patient response
to defibrillation is determined by the scenario script or instructor intervention. Thus,
cardioversion is not automatically determined by the physiological models.
• The minimum electrical charge recognized by the circuitry within the simulator is 20
joules
• Monophasic and Biphasic defibrillators can be used with either paddles or hands-free
connectors