Defibrillator pads for AEDs

Paediatric use is solved two different ways — check which applies to your model

This is the most common mix-up, and it decides what you need to order:

• Separate paediatric pads. The Philips HeartStart HS1 has no paediatric mode in the unit — children are handled with a separate set of pads bought on its own. The same applies to the Defibtech Lifeline, which has its own paediatric pads.
• Paediatric mode in the unit, same pads. The ZOLL AED 3 and Stryker LIFEPAK CR2 use the unit's paediatric mode with the same universal pads for adults and children. Here you should not buy a paediatric variant at all.

Order paediatric pads for a unit that has a paediatric mode and you have bought something you do not need — and the other way round, you are left without a paediatric option when it matters.

Shelf life — read the date, assume nothing

Pads are single-use and carry an expiry date printed on the package. Shelf life varies between makes: the LIFEPAK CR2's pads last about four years, the same as the battery, while others are shorter. The assumption that pads and battery always expire together does not hold — check both dates separately.

A couple of exceptions leave you with a single date to track: the HeartSine samaritan uses the PAD-PAK, where battery and pads sit in the same cartridge. If you are replacing both anyway, you will find the batteries under batteries.

Do not open the package in advance

The pads are vacuum-sealed and the gel layer dries out once the seal is broken — an opened set is spent even if it never touched a patient. Check the seal on delivery and at every equipment check, and keep the spare set unopened in the case.

If you have several defibrillators, it is worth listing the model, pad part number and expiry date in one place. Contact us or request a quote for multiple units.

See also batteries, defibrillators, defibrillator cases and our defibrillator guide.