Defibrillator & AED Testing
A defibrillator spends its whole life doing nothing, and is then expected to work perfectly, once, without warning. Its self-test checks that the electronics respond — not that the energy delivered to the patient is the energy you selected.
What we test
- Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in practices and public areas
- Manual and semi-automatic defibrillators in theatre, casualty and ambulances
- Defibrillator/monitor combination units
- Units with external pacing capability
Self-test is not the same as delivered energy
A daily self-test confirms the unit powers up, charges and finds no internal fault. It cannot measure what actually leaves the paddles or pads. Capacitors age, and an ageing unit can charge, announce readiness, and then deliver materially less energy than the display promises. Only discharging into a calibrated analyser reveals that.
- Delivered energy — measured across the range against the selected setting, into a defined load
- Charge time — how long to reach full charge, on battery as well as mains
- Synchronised cardioversion — that the shock lands on the R wave where it should
- ECG accuracy — heart rate and rhythm display, plus shock-advisory decisions on AEDs
- Pacing output — rate and current, where the unit offers pacing
- Battery condition — capacity under load, not just the charge indicator
The two things that fail in practice
Nearly every dead defibrillator we are called to has one of two problems: a battery that has quietly lost capacity, or pads that expired years ago. Both are avoidable and both are cheap compared with the alternative. We check expiry dates on every visit, log them, and tell you what is due before it lapses — including the spare set that everyone forgets is also expiring.
Documentation
You receive a test certificate recording delivered energy at each tested setting against the selected value, charge times, battery condition, and pad and battery expiry dates, with the next test due date. It is written for audit and insurance purposes and issued per unit, so multi-site practices can track each device individually.
Book Defibrillator Testing
Tell us how many units and where they are — we test multiple sites in one visit.
Common questions
Defibrillator FAQs
The self-test verifies the unit's internal electronics and battery connection. It does not and cannot measure the energy actually delivered through the pads, because that requires discharging into a calibrated load. A unit can pass every self-test while delivering less energy than selected.
Annual testing is the usual interval, alongside the manufacturer's daily or weekly self-test routine and your own visual checks. Test sooner if a unit has been used, dropped, or stored outside its normal temperature range.
Yes, for all major brands. Expired pads are the single most common reason a defibrillator cannot be used when it is needed, so we record expiry dates at every visit and flag what is approaching — including spare sets kept in storage.
Yes. Multi-site practices and groups are straightforward to schedule in one visit, and each unit is certificated individually so you can track them separately. Send us the list of sites and we will plan the route.
When did you last test your defibrillator?
If the answer is "I'm not sure", it is worth a call.