A recent FDA article described several reports of external defibrillators that did not work because of problems with the defibrillator cables and their connectors. Many of these malfunctions occurred with so-called "hands-free" defibrillators, where electrode pads with an adhesive back are attached to the patient and then connected to the defibrillator by a reusable interface cable and connectors. With this configuration, the user does not need to hold wired contact paddles on the patient while the shock is being delivered. In one report, the hands-free pad would not attach to the interface cable. The nurse discovered that the cable end was broken and so it would not align with the connector of the electrode pad. The break in the cable may have been caused by repeatedly twisting it during daily testing of the defibrillator. The article lists several ways to minimize these kinds of events during testing and patient defibrillation, including: • Test the defibrillator at least once a day or according to the facility's or manufacturer's protocol. Be sure to test the unit on battery power only, and ensure that all accessories are present and operate properly. Report any failures, including mechanical faults such as bent or broken connector pins or cables, and electrical malfunctions such as open circuits or failure to deliver the selected energy level. • When testing the interface cable with an external test load, keep the cables plugged into the test load when the device is <b>...</b>
Hands-Free
Defibrillator
Cables
Connectors
Malfunction
FDA
Electrode
Pads
Lawsuit
Guru
