What should you do when your defibrillator pads or battery expire?

Buying a defibrillator for your home, workplace or community is a significant investment and, hopefully, a long-term investment. An AED is essential for providing potentially life-saving treatment during a sudden cardiac arrest, whether it occurs at home, in the gym, in the office or in the local community.

Maintaining your defibrillator is just as important as having one in the first place. Ensuring your AED is fully functioning and rescue ready if it’s needed in an emergency saves precious seconds in an emergency.

Do you know what you should do if the pads or battery for your defibrillator expire?

At Defib4Life, we often speak to customers who aren’t sure what to do with their defibrillator once the pads or battery reach their expiry date. Through our defibrillator recycling scheme, we’re receiving a growing number of defibrillators that still have operational life left in them. Many just require replacement consumables or servicing to make them rescue ready again.

If you want to know whether your defibrillator really needs recycling, read our blog: Does my defibrillator really need recycling?

Knowing when your consumables simply need replacing or that your defibrillator needs a quick maintenance check can save costs, reduce waste and ensure that your AED is ready to potentially save a life when it’s needed.

In this blog, we’ll help you to understand exactly what you need to do when the pads or battery in your defibrillator expire and why regular maintenance is so important.

Why do you need to maintain your defibrillator?

AEDs can sit unused for years or throughout their entire lifetime, but they’re designed to be ready immediately when an emergency strikes. When cardiac arrest strikes, the first few minutes are crucial, and defibrillators are designed for anyone to use, making treatment fast and accessible.

This is why it’s so important to ensure your AED is rescue ready at all times. Modern AEDs carry out their own self-tests which monitor the battery condition, pad connectivity and a range of other factors that affect the operation of your defibrillator. If there’s a problem, the device will alert you with a warning light or a beep. This is where many owners first realise their pads or battery may have expired.

Why defibrillator pads expire

Defibrillator pads are made using conductive adhesive gel that’s used to stick the pads to the patient, and which helps the electrical current to pass into the patient’s body. This gel can dry out over time and, even if you’ve never used the pads or they’ve never been opened, changes in temperature, moisture and age can reduce their effectiveness.

If the pads expire it can mean your AED struggles to analyse the patient’s heart rhythm effectively and may fail to deliver a shock properly. This is why electrode pads have expiry dates. Pads can last anywhere between two to five years and the expiry date will be printed on the packaging.

Keep a record of this date so you know exactly when your pads are due to expire so you can replace them.

For more information on electrode pads, read our blog: Why defibrillator pads expire – and how to stay prepared.

Why defibrillator batteries expire

Defibrillator batteries are essential for the effective operation of your device. Even when sitting unused, the batteries support self-testing, status monitoring, readiness checks and more so the battery can degrade over time. Most AED batteries last between two to seven years in standby mode but, if it’s been used, this can be much shorter.

Your device will usually alert you if there is a problem with the battery but you should also keep a record of its expiry date so you know exactly when it should be replaced.  

For further guidance on replacing the batteries in your defibrillator, read our blog: When should I replace the batteries in my defibrillator?

Do expired pads and batteries mean your AED is dead?

Expired pads or batteries do not automatically mean that your defibrillator cannot be used again. If your defibrillator still powers on, passes internal tests (or most of them) and only requires replacement pads and batteries, it can still be used.

In some cases, organisations replace the entire defibrillator system unnecessarily when only a consumable part has expired. This can lead to avoidable costs for your business and viable equipment being discarded when it’s still perfectly usable.

What should you do if your pads or battery have expired?

Never ignore warning signs if your device is displaying a warning light or error message. Determine what the issue is and replace consumables quickly if this is the problem. You’ll then need to retest the device to return it to an operational status. If you’re still experiencing problems, contact a defibrillator specialist such as Defib4Life for further advice before you completely replace it.

If your device can’t be restored, use a proper recycling service rather than disposing of it incorrectly.

How to know whether your device is still rescue ready

Regular AED checks and maintenance are an essential part of ownership. Check your device weekly and monthly to check the status light and check for any problems. Fixing problems as they arise keeps your defibrillator fully functioning and avoids discovering an issue when your device is needed in an emergency.

Key elements to check include:

Status indicator: Most AEDs display a green light, a tick symbol or a message to tell you it’s fully operational. A red light or warning symbol can indicate that maintenance is required.

Pad expiry dates: Check the expiry date printed on the packaging of your pads and keep a record of it. Ensure you order new pads in plenty of time.

Battery expiry dates: Keep a record of the expiry date for your battery and ensure you replace it when needed.

Condition of your device: Check for cracks, damage, broken seals or any other problems with your AED so they can be fixed.

Do you need to replace the entire defibrillator if pads and batteries expire?

The answer to this question is usually no. Modern AEDs are provided with long warranties between five to eight years which means your device should be supported by the manufacturer throughout this time so maintenance and consumables will be easily available. Even if your defibrillator is out of warranty, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s completely unusable.

Replacement will be required if:

• Your device is no longer supported by the manufacturer
• Replacement consumables are no longer available
• Device parts have been discontinued
• The AED fails diagnostic testing

However, before replacing your device, we recommend checking with your manufacturer or supplier to check your device and understand whether or not it’s still safe to use. In many cases a new battery, replacement pads or a service can return the AED to being fully operational.

At Defib4Life, we offer defibrillator maintenance packages to help provide you with peace of mind that your device is always rescue ready.

Expired consumables don’t always mean an expired defibrillator

Owning a defibrillator also comes with the responsibility of maintaining it properly but expired pads or batteries do not always mean the whole AED is completely unusable.

Understanding the difference between consumable expiry, end of life status and device failure can help you to ensure you’ve got a rescue ready device, reduce waste and lower costs. Most importantly, it keeps lifesaving equipment available for longer.

If your defibrillator pads or battery have expired, the best approach is to assess your device, replace the consumables where needed or seek expert advice on the safest and most effective solution for your organisation and AED.

For further advice and guidance, please contact our expert customer service team.