Defibrillator and ECG Service — Level 1
Manual defibrillators, AEDs and electrocardiographs: safety, testing and PM
Part of the program: Defibrillator and ECG Service Engineer — program (8 h) →
Most defibrillators that fail on the ward fail for small reasons: a tired battery, expired pads, a cracked cable, a sync button left on, a self-test warning nobody read. This course teaches the engineer who looks after manual defibrillators, AEDs and ECG machines to work safely around stored high energy, to test delivered energy, charge time and synchronised cardioversion with an analyser, to keep devices ready between uses, and to find the common ECG and printer faults.
A defibrillator is used for a few seconds a year. Those are the seconds it must not fail.
- A defibrillator sits unused for months and is expected to work perfectly the moment someone collapses; when it fails, it usually fails because of a battery, pads or a setting that nobody checked.
- The high-voltage capacitor inside can store a lethal charge, yet engineers are often asked to 'just have a look inside' without training, a test analyser or the manufacturer's procedure.
- ECG machines are cheap compared with the rest of the hospital and get little attention, so noise, failed leads and printer faults are often blamed on the machine when the cause is electrodes, cables or settings.
After the course you can
Curriculum
Name the types of defibrillator and ECG equipment, explain energy, waveform and impedance in practical terms, and trace the main assemblies of any defibrillator from battery to pads.free
20 min02Safety: stored energy, test loads and defibrillation-proof parts
Work safely around a defibrillator's stored energy, set up shock testing so that nobody and nothing is in the current path, and check the electrical safety of defibrillation-proof applied parts.22 min03Energy delivery and testing: analyser, charge time, sync and AED analysis
Run a defibrillator performance check with an analyser and simulator - delivered energy, charge time, disarm, synchronised cardioversion, pacing and AED rhythm recognition - and judge the results against the manufacturer's limits.24 min04Batteries, pads and readiness
Choose, care for and replace defibrillator batteries and pads correctly, set up the daily and weekly checks staff should do, and read readiness indicators and logs to keep every unit ready for use.20 min05ECG: leads, filters, artefacts, simulator checks and the printer
Check an electrocardiograph or the ECG of a defibrillator with a simulator, tell artefact from device fault, set filters correctly, and maintain the thermal printer and data export.24 min06Fault-finding, PM and return to service
Find the common defibrillator and ECG faults in a logical order, carry out planned maintenance, and return a device to service with the right tests, settings and records - escalating high-voltage repair.24 min—Exam
25 · 40 min · 75 %
The certificate
Pass the exam and get a certificate of course completion with your name, hours and score. Every certificate has a unique number and a public verification page, so an employer or a customer can check it in one click. It confirms completion of the course; it is not an educational document (diploma) and not a manufacturer authorisation.
Who it is for
Who it is for
- Hospital biomedical / clinical engineering teams
- Field engineers in independent service companies
Who teaches
Written by a service engineer working with medical equipment since 2014, including 6.5 years at GE Healthcare and service supervision at Mindray, together with the engineers of Service Engineer.
FAQ
Is this manufacturer training?
No. It is independent, vendor-neutral training. It does not replace the manufacturer's procedures or grant authorisation or access to service software.
Does the course teach high-voltage board repair?
No. At Level 1 you test, diagnose to the assembly, record and escalate. Opening the high-voltage section and repairing it belongs to trained and authorised service following the manufacturer's procedure.
What does the certificate say?
Your name, the course, the hours, the date and your exam score, with a unique number and a public verification page.
Can my company buy seats for a team?
Yes: five seats and a progress overview for the manager.
Languages?
English and Russian.