Find where Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are placed in buildings around IU School of Medicine campuses to treat ventricular fibrillation.

Automated External Defibrillator (AED)

The Heartstart FRx Defibrillator, an automated external defibrillator (AED), can save lives. The AEDs are placed in buildings on the Indianapolis campus of IU School of Medicine to treat ventricular fibrillation, the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest. All students, faculty and staff of IU School of Medicine should know the signs and know where to find an AED in campus buildings.

AED IU Indianapolis campus locations.
AEDs are located in public areas of each IU Indianapolis building in a white metal cabinet with an AED wall sign above the cabinet. When the cabinet is opened, a local alarm sounds and the campus police operator is notified. It is still important to call 9-1-1 to get paramedics and campus police to the location.

As simple as 1, 2, 3

Check for signs of sudden cardiac arrest, which include unresponsiveness and irregular breathing.

If the AED is needed:

1. Turn On
2. Place Pads
3. Press Shock

The AED unit is easily portable and preprogrammed to talk through the process.
Along with the battery-powered defibrillator, the unit includes a spare set of pads; scissors to cut the patient’s clothes if needed; disposable protective gloves; a disposable razor to shave chest hair if necessary; absorbent wipes to dry patient’s skin for optimal pad contact; and a pocket mask to deliver breaths. Additionally, an infant/child key accessory is available for use if the patient is under 55 pounds or less than eight years of age.

STEP 1
Press the green on/off button to turn on the AED.
The unit will instruct the user to remove all clothes from the patient’s chest.

STEP 2
Remove the SMART Pads II case from the carry case.

Dry the patient’s skin if sweaty. Skin can be damp but not wet. If necessary, shave excessive chest hair to ensure good pad contact with bare skin.

Pad placement is very important. Open the pads case and peel one pad from the case. The icons on the pads’ placement diagram on the AED front panel will guide the user to correct placement. Press the pad down firmly. Repeat with the second pad as shown in the AED front panel guide.

STEP 3
When the AED detects that the pads are attached to the patient, the pads’ icon turns off and the FRx begins analyzing the patient’s heart rhythm. User will be instructed to not touch the patient during this process. A caution light will flash as a reminder.

If a shock is needed:
The caution light stops flashing and remains on and the orange shock button starts flashing. The AED tells the user to press the flashing orange button; that is the shock button, and it must be pressed for a shock to be delivered. Before a user presses the button, (s)he should make sure no one is touching the patient. The AED will instruct the user when the shock has been delivered.

After the shock is delivered, the AED will tell the user that it’s safe to touch the patient and will instruct user to begin CPR. The unit will tell the user to press the flashing blue i-button for CPR coaching if desired. The AED will provide a beat to accompany chest compressions. After two minutes (five sets of 30 compressions and two breaths), the AED will pause to re-analyze the patient’s heart rhythm. If additional shocks are needed, the AED will again provide instruction.

If a shock is not needed:
The blue i-button will light to show that it is safe to touch the patient. The AED will tell the user to perform CPR if needed. If the patient is moving or has regained consciousness, keep the person comfortable until emergency medical personnel arrive.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (the abrupt loss of heart function) strikes immediately and without warning. The tell-tale signs: sudden loss of responsiveness, no normal breathing, no or irregular pulse. Fewer than five percent of the nearly 350,000 people in North American who suffer sudden cardiac arrest survive. For every minute that passes between collapse and defibrillation, survival rates decrease 7 to 10 percent. With defibrillation, survival rates improve with a decreased survival of 3 to 4 percent per minute from collapse to when bystander CPR is provided.

Indianapolis Campus AED Locations

Biotechnology Research & Training Center (BRTC) – First floor elevator lobby
Daly Center – Basement fitness center
Emerson Hall – Second floor elevator lobby
Fesler Hall – First floor lobby
Gatch Hall – Second, fourth and sixth floor elevator lobbies
Glick – Third floor elevator lobby
Health Information and Translational Sciences (HITS) – First, third and fifth floor elevator lobbies
Medical Library – First floor main lobby, third and fifth floor elevator lobbies
Medical Science – First, third and fifth floor South elevator lobbies
Neuroscience – First and fourth floor elevator lobbies
Riley Research – First floor elevator lobby
Rotary – First floor lobby next to main entry
R2 – First and third floor elevator lobbies
R3 – Second, fourth and sixth floor elevator lobbies
R4 – First and third floor elevator lobbies
Innovation Center – First floor across from elevator